EuropeÂ’s largest solar farm lights up

ROVIGO, ITALY - Europe's largest solar photovoltaic plant is up and running, following the completion of the 70-megawatt MW Rovigo solar farm in northeast Italy.

Solar developer SunEdison LLC, a division of MEMC Electronic Materials Incorporated, took just nine months to complete the plant and connect it to the national electricity grid.

SunEdison received the go-ahead from the Italian government in March, when it promised that power would be generated before the end of the year. Before the Rovigo plant, the 60-MW Olmedilla plant in Spain was the largest in Europe, followed by a 50-MW facility in Strasskirchen, Germany, which also involves MEMC.

According to SunEdison, the plant will generate enough energy to power more than 16,500 homes and prevent the emission of more than 40,000 tons of CO2, which is equivalent to the removal of 8,000 cars from the road.

"With construction completion in less than one year, we believe this deployment signifies a new milestone for the industry and will become the standard for future mega projects," said Carlos Domenech, the president of SunEdison. The Italian Minister for Economic Development, Paolo Romani, congratulated the Rovigo project, citing Italy's challenges of energy of supply.

Earlier this month, SunEdison sold the Rovigo plant for 276 million euros US $382 million to First Reserve Corporation, through a joint venture both companies already had established.

The status as Europe's largest solar plant could be short-lived, however, as EDF Energies Nouvelles S.A., which is part of French utility giant Electricite de France , plans to build what will be the world's largest solar PV plant at a former NATO base in Toul-Rosieres, near the eastern city of Metz in France. The solar farm will have a generating capacity of 143 MW, and provide enough electricity for about 62,000 people.