Willing to take a shift towards more sustainable patterns of energy consumption, the Government of Antigua and Barbuda (GOAB) recently made use of PV Energy's clean power expertise for the construction of a 10 MWp solar energy project cluster including a first 3 MWp installation at the V.C. Bird International Airport on Antigua.

The magnitude of this first solar PV installation on the twin-island requires comprehensive trainings for local partners, which is essential in order to ensure the correct application and maintenance of the solar systems.

Capacity building has therefore become one of PV Energy's main priorities throughout the construction stage. In addition to the recent workshop sessions conducted directly on-site at the airport, PV Energy continues to support its Caribbean partners to seize the opportunities offered by those newest energy technologies, by introducing a training programme tour across Europe.

The study tour started yesterday in Austria and will include different countries such as Germany, Italy and Spain. This one-week training has been organized for the benefit of the local engineers of the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Development, Tourism and Energy and Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) in order to give them a better insight on solar installations and battery back up solutions in renewable energy systems.

The main destinations are for example the headquarter of the manufacturer of battery charging systems Fronius International GmbH in Vienna (Austria), the Helios/FeCon Wind and Sun technologies Group in Flensburg (Germany) and also the Viterbo solar plant, which is located close to Rome (Italy).

When the Caribbean engineers return from their journey through Europe on the 24th of October 2015, the airport project will be almost ready for commissioning. The installation of the first PV power plant of this size has been executed as follows: As one of the first steps the fencing and the access to the road have been completed. The water supply and the Internet connection have been established as well.

Also the assembly of altogether around 12.000 solar modules was finished during the last few days. Nearly 80 per cent of the planned cables have already been laid in the ground. Currently, containers with inverters and transformers are bound for the airport on Antigua and will be installed in the upcoming weeks.

As a pioneer for solar power on Antigua and Barbuda, it is the mandated role of PV Energy to raise and empower the awareness of renewable energy solutions and emphasise the exemplary function of the large PV installations on the Island. Through this exclusive energy study tour, PV Energy proves once again its full commitment towards the local community and contributes to the modernization and development of the national economy as a result of bringing new employment opportunities and developing local expertise to operate and accurately maintain renewable power sources.