The free-standing project, being developed to the west of Plzen is reported to be the largest of its kind in the country. Construction will begin in July 2009, and the plant is scheduled for completion and grid connection later in the year.

The Czech Republic is an interesting investment location due to an attractive feed-in tariff (FiT) and the high amount of sun the country receives. Under the conditions of the FiT, photovoltaic (PV) plants capable of more than 30 kWp in output receive CZK 12.79 (just under €0.48) for each kilowatt-hour of fed-in electricity. This rate is guaranteed for 20 years.

S.A.G plans to build a free-standing plant comprised of polycrystalline modules at a former military site spanning approximately 30 hectares in Stríbro, around 30 km west of Plzen. It will use premium modules from Yingli  Solar, as well as the KACO inverter - Powador XP350-HV TL.

Based on the amount of sun this location receives, S.A.G hopes that the plant will produce some 13,650,000 kWh of energy per year – enough for more than 3,100 four-person households.

With 13 MWp, Stríbro constitutes the single largest project in the history of S.A.G. “Thanks to our optimised procurement and logistics processes, we can now also implement considerably larger projects,” says Dr. Karl Kuhlmann, CEO of S.A.G. Solarstrom: “Along with Germany and Italy, the Czech Republic is one of our core target markets for 2009. This is why we’re pleased to be carrying out this project in Stríbro – our first in the country.”