World’s third-largest PV system on a stadium roof reaches completion

From pv magazine Germany

German football club SC Freiburg has announced that German system integrator Badenova has completed construction on a 2.4 MW rooftop solar array on the roof of its Europa-Park stadium.

The solar facility is the world’s third-largest photovoltaic system on a football stadium after a 4.2 MW system installed on the roof of the Ali Sami Yen Sports Complex Nef Stadium in Instanbul, Turkey, and the 2.5 MW array deployed on the roof cover of the National Stadium Mane Garrincha in Brasilia, Brazil.

The rooftop PV system in Freiburg is expected to be grid-connected in September, after the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE) and testing and certification institute VDE will have certified the installation.

Around 6,000 heterojunction solar modules from Switzerland-based Meyer Burger were installed on a 15,000 m² roof area. Badenova invested around €2.3 million ($2.3 million) in the system, which it will operate over a 20-year period.

“We want to set an example for sustainability and innovation not only for similar projects, but also with the quality and origin of the modules,” said Klaus Preiser, managing director of Badenova subsidiary Badenovawärmeplus.

“The project is a real milestone for our new Europa-Park stadium and it shows how important sustainability and environmental protection are to us at SC Freiburg,” explained SC Freiburg board member Oliver Leki.

*The article was updated to reflect that the world’s largest PV system built on a stadium is the 4.2 MW deployed the Ali Sami Yen Sports Complex Nef Stadium in Instanbul, Turkey.