VISKOTEEPAK Ground-mounted PV system

Perpetum Energy wishes to realize a new ground-mounted solar panel park on the VISKOTEEPAK site in Genk near a vacant industrial site of VISKOTEEPAK. Complete solar panel projects make use of the available and usable roof surfaces and a ground-level installation. This project is part of the aim of VISKOTEEPAK in Lommel to reduce CO2 emissions and to produce energy for its own needs.

A buffer zone of 15 metres will be provided around the installation, in this buffer zone a new planting of forest in local species will be provided. There is also a buffer zone of 5 meters immediately adjacent to the ground-level installation, which is included in the area of forest to be felled. And adjacent, but separated by a wildlife fence, to the open and freely accessible buffer zone of 15 meters. Under the panels and in the fenced project area, the development of a grassland is encouraged. The site will be managed by means of periodic sheep grazing, in the form of shock grazing.

The entire solar panel park consists of a roof-mounted installation and a ground-mounted installation, which together consist of 11,704 solar panels and has a capacity of approximately 7,114 MWp.

The roof-mounted solar panel park consists of 3436 solar panels and has a capacity of approximately 1,409 MWp. The solar panel park will be placed on the existing roof structure and will be connected via a cable to the technical cabins within the existing building with an inverter and a transformer. The ground-mounted solar panel park consists of 8268 solar panels and has a capacity of approximately 5,705 MWp. The solar panel park will be placed on a steel structure and will be connected via a cable under the access roads to 2 technical cabins, each with an inverter and a transformer. These transformers, in turn, are connected to the coupling cabin.

This installation will be used exclusively to supply the locally generated green energy via a Power Purchase Agreement (VPPA) to the VISKO TEEPAK site in light of the transition to decarbonisation (2030 – 2050). With a PPA, the electricity generated is supplied in full from the installation to VISKO TEEPAK at Maatheide 81, Lommel. If the consumption profile of the industrial activities can only process part of the electricity produced, the residual profile of the green energy produced by the installation will be injected into the public grid to the consumer/customer.

In addition to the installation of these solar panels, the technical cabins and the transformers in both the coupling cabin and the technical cabins, the necessary infrastructure works will be carried out, such as the construction of the permanent access roads.

For the realisation of access roads and construction sites, an integrated water-permeable pavement was chosen. For the realisation of the access roads, the choice was made to use circular building materials for foundations. The excavation of the zate is limited to the profiling of the subsoil and the excavation and spreading of the soil layer. The pavement itself will be provided with a top layer of lava granulate and sown with a meadow mixture.

During the realisation of the ground-level installation, no soil will be removed from the cadastral plots. There are no changes to the existing profile of the site. There are also no temporary or permanent changes to the groundwater level.