Suntech PV modules power Saudi Arabia’s largest solar system, a 3.5MW solar energy field in Riyadh, the company today announced.

Saudi Aramco President and CEO Khalid A. Al-Falih inaugurated the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center’s (KAPSARC) project on 25 December 2012.

The solar energy field was built over an area of 55,000 square meters and, according to Suntech, is currently recognized as the biggest ground-mounted solar installation connected to the electricity grid in Saudi Arabia.

The solar energy field will feed-in the center loads and electricity grid by about 5,800MWh of electrical energy annually. The field uses 12,684 fixed-angle Polycrystalline PV panels provided by Suntech with 14.4% efficiency and maximum power of 280 watts at standard test conditions. The DC power generated by the panels is collected and inverted to AC power through four inverters.

The 5,800MWh amount of renewable energy will enable the KAPSARC facility to achieve the platinum LEED certificate. The field will offset carbon emissions by about 4,900 tons every year.

The whole process of generating the solar energy field and connecting it to the grid is continuously monitored to analyze the data and measure the production efficiency.