A solar roof to be constructed in Amsterdam will be so large that it amounts to a roofline power station. At the Floriade 2002 international horticultural exhibition site, it will be constructed from around 19 000 solar modules supplied by Siemens and will be capable of generating 2.3 MW of electricity at peak output.
The electricity produced by the plant will be fed directly into the local grid. The plant is designed so that the solar modules function both as a generator and the actual roof of what amounts to a vast semi-open greenhouse.
The total area of the installation is about 25 000 m2, making it the largest solar roof ever made, and Siemens have developed a semitransparent solar module for the project which (in an overhead application) allows the necessary amount of sunlight to filter through to the plants below.
Originator of the turnkey project is Dutch utility Nuon, who have ordered the power plant from Siemens Nederland as a turnkey project. Installation will start in April 2001, for first operation in December 2001.
