The development of solar energy in countries with a limited amount of free land is increasingly dependent on the exploitation of degraded and technologically disturbed areas. Former agricultural yards, depleted industrial sites, landfills and abandoned factories represent a significant land reserve, while at the same time posing risks to the environment and urban planning. Transforming such areas into locations for the installation of solar power plants (SPP) makes it possible to combine the objectives of energy transition, land reclamation and increasing the investment attractiveness of regions.
Ukrainian practice in the construction of ground and solar power plants for its own needs shows that, with a good technical and organizational approach, even extremely complex sites can be effectively integrated into the energy infrastructure. The project portfolio implemented by the author includes facilities on former municipal landfills, abandoned vehicle fleet sites, sugar factories, brick production areas, as well as large solar power plants for own needs, on the roofs and industrial sites of Nestle, MHP, Obolon and other companies. Most facilities are characterized by non-standard geotechnical conditions, a high density of underground and above-ground utilities, tight implementation schedules and the need for reconstruction of the network infrastructure (the Vysokivska, Beryslavska and other substations).
The portfolio of implemented projects shows a wide range of scenarios for the redevelopment of problem areas. A representative example is the ground-mounted PV power plant Tavanska 1 with a capacity of 8.56 MW in the Kherson region. The facility is located on the site of a former landfill with soft soil and a significant slope. Execution of the project required extensive removal of surface debris, site grading and the use of only tracked machinery for movement over the weak foundation. A rainwater drainage system was designed to prevent erosion and pile undermining. The work includes piling work, laying cable lines, installing steel structures, installing Jinko modules and SMA inverters and the construction of a transformer station. The plant received a green rate of 15.03 euro cents and reduced electricity consumption from the public grids by more than 11,000 MWh per year.
The Asteria PV power plant with a capacity of 6.4 MW is located on the service area of a large farm, where silo pits up to 8 meters deep and massive foundations of old buildings were present. To ensure the load-bearing capacity of the soil, the heaviest tampers on the market were used, disturbing foundations were dismantled and an innovative access road system was implemented that can withstand high groundwater levels and loose soil. An important technical and organizational solution was the development of a grid connection project with complete reconstruction of the Vysokivska substation, which made it possible to reduce the commissioning time of the power plant by three months, while maintaining a high level of reliability of the grid infrastructure.
The Blahovishchenska (2.72 and 2.86 MW) and Zlatopilska (4.72 and 7.11 MW) projects were implemented on the territory of a former sugar factory and low-grade lands complicated by the need to lay cable lines under highways and through residential areas with a high density of utility networks. For these facilities, technologies of horizontal directional drilling, construction of vertical cable trays and internal designs of integrated transformer-inverter substations were applied. This solution not only guaranteed the technical feasibility of the grid connection, but also approximately increased the green tariff thanks to the optimization of the equipment configuration and the minimization of losses.
A special group is formed by solar power plants for their own needs. PV power plants on the roofs and industrial sites of the companies Nestle, MHP, ECO-BERRY, Obolon. These projects are aimed at self-consumption and involved participation in open tenders, coordination of technical solutions with international offices, strict time constraints and the impossibility of interrupting the continuous production cycle. For rooftop PV power plants, technological solutions were applied that minimize the load on load-bearing structures and increase the inflammability class of roofing, as well as layouts for installing modules on several dozen roofs, taking into account the safety of personnel and maintenance logistics. As a result, enterprises achieved an average annual reduction in electricity consumption from the external power grid by 20-35%, confirming the effectiveness of the integration of solar generation into the industrial infrastructure.
Comparison of the considered projects makes it possible to conclude that in Ukrainian practice a specific approach to the development of PV installations is being formed, which is not aimed at the search for ideal locations, but at the technological adaptation of complex areas. Such an approach requires from the design and construction team a high degree of flexibility, a willingness to work with non-standard geotechnical conditions and a dense network of infrastructural constraints.
The facilities realized show that professional preparation of land issues and grid connections often determines the success of the entire project to a greater extent than the choice of a specific equipment line. The use of internal designs of transformer-inverter substations, the optimization of DC and AC connection schemes and well-thought-out logistics of deliveries make it possible not only to meet tight deadlines, but also to obtain additional economic effects in the form of a higher tariff or lower capital expenditure.
Of particular importance is the creation of sustainable models for interacting with network companies. The Vysokivska and Beryslavska substation reconstruction projects show that active participation of the party interested in connecting a PV plant in the design, supply of equipment and construction of substations can significantly accelerate the modernization of the network infrastructure without reducing the reliability of power supply to consumers.
The experience with ground-mounted and subsistence solar power plants, implemented on former industrial, agricultural and municipal sites, confirms that such areas should not be seen as a problem, but as a resource. With a clear technical concept and well-developed project management, even a landfill, an abandoned factory or an industrial estate full of facilities can be transformed into a sustainable source of clean energy and long-term income.
The use of degraded and technologically disturbed areas for solar energy generating facilities is in line with global sustainable development trends and helps reduce land use conflicts with the agricultural and residential sectors. The Ukrainian feed-in-tariff model has created the necessary economic incentives to put such sites into operation, while advances in pole structure technologies, cable products and inverter equipment ensure the technical feasibility of projects on complex soils and in conditions of high utility density.
Analysis of the implemented cases Tavanska 1, Asteria, Blahovishchenska, Zlatopilska and a number of solar power plants for own needs showed that a combination of in-depth technical and geological studies, the use of specialized machines, innovative methods of laying cable lines and own designs of transformer-inverter substations makes it possible to successfully implement projects on former landfills, industrial sites, factory sites and areas with high network density. At the same time, the tasks of land reclamation, modernization of network infrastructure and reduction of energy consumption of public networks by thousands of megawatt hours per year are being addressed.
The developed set of solutions can be scaled up to other regions and countries with similar conditions. The main success factors are early planning of grid connection schemes, active interaction with network companies, willingness of investors to participate in the reconstruction of substations and strict control of construction schedules. The transformation of complex sites into solar energy generation facilities should be considered as an important tool for the post-industrial transformation of areas and for increasing the energy resilience of industry and municipal infrastructure.
The aim of the article – to demonstrate the practical feasibility and effectiveness of rehabilitating complex and degraded areas for solar power plants (SPPs) – has thus been achieved. The presented experience can serve as a reference for developers, engineering firms and industrial consumers considering the implementation of solar generation projects under conditions of limited land and infrastructure resources.
