German companies donate PV solar electricity unit to Athens airport authority

Alzenau, December 21, 2004 – During their business tour of Greece, representatives of the German solar industry from SMA Technologie AG, Rosendahl Energietechnik and RWE SCHOTT Solar, together with their Greek partner ECO//SUN, handed over a 5 kW solar electricity unit to Athens International Airport in a ceremony held at the beginning of last December.

The unit, worth around 30,000 euros, was donated by the partner companies and has been installed on the roof of the new railway station at the airport. The station building has already won awards for its unique architecture and innovative heating and ventilation concept.

Large displays in the transfers area inside the airport building inform passengers of the unit's function and current yield. "With this project we want to show that solar energy is a viable concept in Greece. The demands for electricity on the Greek islands in particular can already be met cost-effectively by way of solar electricity. It is also meant to signal to the Greek government that they should pass a law regulating and supporting the feed in of regenerative energies into the national grid“, explains Lars Waldmann, spokesman for the group of sponsor companies.

In his welcoming address in front of German and Greek companies from the field of solar energy, the Greek Minister for Development, Dimitris Sioufas, confirmed his government's intention to implement an incentive scheme for renewable energies. The Deputy Minister for Development responsible for energy, Giorgos Salagoudis, spoke of a draft law to be completed within six months.

The solar electricity application is composed of 48 ASE-100 modules supplied by RWE SCHOTT Solar, each with a maximum output of 105 watts peak (Wp), which convert the incoming sunshine into DC electricity. This electricity is then fed by a SMA Sunny Boy 5000TL inverter into the airport's AC circuit. The Greek partner company ECO//SUN from Salonika installed the unit and instructed the airport personal in its use. Last but not least, Rosendahl Energietechnik supplied the two large displays inside the building. The unit will produce a planned 9,000 kilowatt-hours of Greek solar energy each year and save the city of Athens around seven tonnes of CO2.