Solaris Holding launches production at large hybrid renewable energy park in Bulgaria

The new Selanovtsi solar farm of 59.8 MW in peak capacity near Vratsa was installed alongside a battery energy storage system of 107.3 MWh in capacity. The hybrid energy park, owned by Solaris Holding, is now accumulating the midday output and releasing it into the grid at hours of increased demand.

Engineering, supply and construction company Solaris Holding, a joint venture of the Bulgarian-German Sunotec and the main shareholders of Eurohold Bulgaria (Evrohold), launched the operation of a hybrid power plant in the municipality of Oryahovo in Vratsa district. The project in the country’s northwest is financed by United Bulgarian Bank (UBB or OBB) and the German Varengold Bank.

The Selanovtsi solar power plant’s peak capacity is 59.8 MW. It is integrated with a new battery energy storage system (BESS) of 107.3 MWh. Annual output is estimated at 79.9 GWh. It is equivalent to the energy needs of more than 22,000 households and it saves more than a million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, according to the developer.

Electrohold Trade, part of Electrohold Group and Eurohold, is responsible for the sale of electricity.

Hybrid power plant generating 79.9 GWh per year

The Selanovtsi facility, located near an eponymous village, spans 37.9 hectares. It consists of 103,116 solar modules. A team of 250 people built the hybrid renewable energy park, which features lithium-ion-phosphate (LFP) batteries, according to the update.

During the hours of lower consumption, the integrated system stores the green energy and delivers it to the grid around the daily demand peaks. It ensures a more balanced load on the electricity system, increases its stability and efficiency, and contributes to a more reliable integration of renewable sources into the national grid, the statement adds.

Solaris has four even larger projects underway

Solaris plans to commission four more battery-powered photovoltaic plants, even larger in size. In September, it inaugurated a hybrid solar power and storage facility in Pernik.

BESS has become a standard element of PV projects in Bulgaria. In addition, the country’s battery manufacturing capacity is growing and the government has completed its tenders for state support to BESS combined with renewable energy plants, and for standalone units. But even before the subsidies, there are facilities under construction.