Silkeborg: solar history in the making

Update November 2016: the solar collector field is growing fast!

In Denmark the largest solar heating solution in the world is well underway. When finished the 156.694 m² collector field will produce 80.000 MWh annually. The installation has been ordered by the city of Silkeborg and its district heating plant. Arcon-Sunmark is the turnkey supplier of the record breaking project.

The construction began in June and now it is becoming evident just how large the solar collector field is with its 12.436 collectors. When completed the annual production will total 80.000 MWh and the installation will be an important contribution to the district heating setup in Silkeborg where it will cover 20% of the yearly demand.

”Large-scale solar heating is a very efficient form of energy. In Denmark district heating plays an important role in the overall supply strategy. And in later years we have experienced a steadily increasing stream of enquiries and orders from district heating plants which would like to have large-scale solar heating as one of their energy sources,” says Søren Elisiussen, CEO, Arcon-Sunmark.

Despite the size and production of the installation in Silkeborg, the system is not supported by a storage tank where surplus energy is stored for later use. The reason for this is that the heat demand of the 90.000 inhabitants is bigger than the production – also in the summer months – which means that the entire production goes directly to the consumers thus eliminating the need for any storage. But Arcon-Sunmark also has vast experience with large-scale solar heating systems which have seasonal storage facilities as most of the big installations are connected to heating stations with fewer customers.

Facts about the solar heating solution:

• 

  Number of collectors: 12.436

• Collector area: 156.694 m² (the largest solar collector field in the world)
• Location: Silkeborg, Denmark
• Annual production: 80.000 MWh
• Peak effect: 110 MW
• Annual demand covered: 20% (the remaining 80% is covered by gas and surplus electricity)
• Number of consumers: 90.000
• In operation: End of 2016
• Life span: 25 years minimum

Source: Arcon-Sunmark