The power plant is capable of producing up to 980 MWh of electricity per year, comparable to the annual consumption of 300 ordinary households. Credit: City of Prague.
Prague, July 15 (BD) – Pražská strojírna is in the process of launching a photovoltaic power plant (PVE) located on the roofs of its production halls and warehouses in Prague-Vinoř. The plant is the largest rooftop installation of its kind in Prague, and will allow Pražská strojírna to cover its total annual electricity consumption. The PVE was built with the cooperation of city companies and the support of the Prague Transport Company (DPP) and the City of Prague.
The PVE at Pražská strojírna (Prague Engineering, a subsidiary of DPP) has a total of 2,200 solar panels with an output of 450 Wp, which cover an area corresponding to the area of 23 tennis courts. The power plant has a total capacity of 996 kWp and is capable of producing up to 980 MWh of electricity per year, comparable to the annual consumption of 300 ordinary households.
“According to the plan, we should cover the total consumption of production and consumption in administrative buildings, which includes 24-hour operations of several lathes, air cleaners and other machines, and sell 35% of the electricity produced. However, we will continue to draw power from the grid, especially at peak times and in winter. We can only hope that the sun will shine a lot after the launch,” said Robert Masarovič, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Pražská strojírna.
The ecological benefit of the project is also significant, saving approximately 500 tons of CO2 emissions per year. Trial operation of the power plant will begin this month. The payback of the entire project is expected within six to eight years.
“The commissioning of this photovoltaic power plant is an extremely important step not only for Pražská strojírna, but for the whole city,” said Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda. “It will supply excess energy – estimated to be around a third – to the distribution network, and above all, it will ensure the self-sufficiency of this company, which we want to achieve for the entire capital as well.”
The new plant was opened in the presence of Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda. Credit: City of Prague.
Only 15 months passed from the initial negotiations on the construction of the power plant to the final completion. The actual construction of the power plant began at the beginning of this year. The project is the result of cooperation between municipal companies of the City of Prague. Pražská plynárenská, through its subsidiary company Prometheus and the company Atlantis Management, supplied the project.
“Energy self-sufficiency is key to reducing our dependence on undemocratic regimes and to keeping key city services running even in times of crisis,” said Zdeněk Hřib, First Deputy Mayor for Transport and Chairman of the DPP Supervisory Board. “Those key services undoubtedly include the field of transport, including the support services implemented by Pražská strojírna. I believe that other similar installations at other city companies will follow.”
Petr Witowski, Chairman of the Board and CEO of DPP and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Pražská strojírna, said the PVE was a good example for future collaboration between city companies and their subsidiaries. He added that DPP was considering similar projects on other facilities in the future, such as the new depot in Hloubětín, which will also use photovoltaic panels to cover its own energy consumption.
