Solarcentury unveils unsubsidised solar farm in Panama

British solar firm finishes construction of 9.9MWp project in central Panama

British renewables developer Solarcentury has continued its international expansion drive with the unveiling of one of Panama's largest solar farms.

The 9.9 megawatt peak (MWp) farm, dubbed Divisa Solar, was built in Coclé province in central Panama and is one of the first solar farms in the country to be connected to the national grid. It is now generating enough electricity to power around 3,000 homes.

The project was completed without any subsidies, opening up the scope for further expansion of solar in Panama, the company said.

"Bringing our vast engineering expertise and management experience, and strong health and safety record, to build one of Panama's very first solar farms has been an insightful experience for Solarcentury in this nascent solar market," said Frans van den Heuvel, chief executive of Solarcentury, in a statement. "As more and more countries around the world reach grid parity, solar becomes even more economically viable."

The farm was built for Panama-based investor ECOSolar, which has also commissioned Solarcentury to take care of operations and maintenance at the site for the next two years. Funding came from a secured loan from the Inter-American Development Bank.

"Solarcentury's engineering expertise and experience of installing solar, particularly at large scale, offered us a great investment opportunity,"said Alberto Rabanal, chief executive of ECOSolar, in a statement. "Through the Divisa project, we are able to fulfil our mission to make Latin America's energy landscape become greener, cleaner and more accessible for all."