It is currently difficult to determine whether the Drentse Zonneroute will provide an acceptable return for the future operator. This is stated in the report of the market consultation, which was published this week. There are uncertainties about the payback period in view of, among other things, the fluctuating material prices. Despite this, a moderately positive outlook is assumed.
It is one of the many findings that can be read in the document cited above. At the beginning of June, the initiators behind the Solar Route (central government, province, grid operators and the municipalities of Emmen, Coevorden and Hoogeveen) sat down with forty market parties in the Van der Valk Hotel in Emmen.
The market parties were given the opportunity to ask questions about the project. The Drentse Zonneroute comprises the installation of 152 hectares of solar panels along the A37 between Hoogeveen and the German border at Zwartemeer. In total, this involves a route of 42 kilometers long, good for a yield of 176 megawatts. The initiators want to tender the solar route in 2024.
In addition to questions about the exploitation, the construction time was also considered. No unequivocal answer could be given here either. If there are no objections to the necessary permits, the preparation for construction can take between 1.5 to 3 years.
Various estimates were also made for the construction time. The job could take 18 months or four years. The delivery also depends on that of the grid connection.
There were also concerns about the latter. New high-voltage substations are being built at Veenoord and the Riegmeer near Hoogeveen. Both installations are necessary to increase the capacity of the power grid, so that solar parks can also be connected. The market parties fear that these will not be completed in time.
Without a timely connection, the future operator of the solar route cannot immediately use the generated electricity to the grid. Which entails loss of income.
It must also be prevented that all space at the new stations has already been taken up around the time of delivery. That is why guarantees are required in terms of planning and power.
The initiators prefer to tender the project in one go. If this is not feasible, the solar route will be divided into a maximum of three parts that will be marketed separately from each other. The market parties also agree that the solar route may remain in place for at least 25 to 30 years.