Puttershoek solar park with 67,000 panels officially inaugurated
More than 67,000 solar panels that generate as much
electricity as 8,200 households consume annually: that is exactly what the Puttershoek Solar Park in the municipality of Hoeksche Waard in South Holland produces. The solar field, which is located next to Cosun Beet Company's speciality factory, was already taken into use last year, but the official inauguration has been postponed until today due to measures related to Coronavirus at the time. Hans Meeuwis, CEO of Royal Cosun, officially inaugurates the solar
field.
Green power
The solar park consists of a large solar field of nearly seven hectares, and six smaller solar fields with a
total of more than ten hectares. All of the solar fields were realised by KiesZon, part of the Greenchoice
Group and a pioneer in the realisation and operation of large-scale solar power projects on rooftops and
in field arrangements. The large solar field, operated by Cosun Beet Company, is directly connected to
the grid connection of the sugar speciality factory. These solar panels supply electricity to the factory
and the grid. The grid connection will also supply green power to Cosun Beet Company's speciality
factory in Roosendaal. Paul Mesters, CEO of Cosun Beet Company: "The use of solar energy for the
two speciality plants is part of Cosun Beet Company's sustainability goals. We are also one of the
largest green gas producers in the Netherlands, for example, and more than half of our bulk trucks are
powered by our own green gas."
Major CO2 reduction
The six smaller fields, realised by Klimaatfonds Nederland, are directly connected to the electricity grid.
In total, the solar park produces green power for the equivalent of about 8,200 households. This
amounts to a reduction of as much as 14 million kilograms of CO2 per year!
Erik Versteeg, B2B Directeur of KiesZon: "This remarkable project is the result of the effective
collaboration between the parties involved such as Cosun, the Municipality of Hoeksche Waard,
Omgevingsdiensten Zuid-Holland Zuid, Klimaatfonds, KiesZon and the grid operator Stedin. Together,
we found solutions to all the challenges we encountered. More than 23.3 million kWh of renewable
electricity has already been generated since commissioning, some of which is also directly used locally. Many more renewable kilowatt hours will follow. We are proud that we were privileged to realise and
maintain this unique solar field with and on behalf of Cosun."
Seminar and inauguration
Although the solar park has already been generating electricity for a year, the owners and stakeholders
were still keen to reflect on the special project and its significance for Puttershoek and its local
residents. Accordingly, they have also been invited to the opening and a seminar on Friday afternoon,
23 September. After the official inauguration of the park, everyone had the opportunity to view the solar
fields from above from a special scaffold on the embankment.