An energy saving solar power plant the size of 207 football fields is set to open in Ukraine, making it Europe’s largest power station of its kind.

The power plant, capable of providing enough green energy for around 20,000 households, will also reduce Ukraine’s carbon dioxide emissions by 80,000 tons.

The State Agency of Ukraine for Energy Efficiency and Energy Conservation (SAUEEEC) launched the project in 2010, aiming to produce energy from "clean" sources, the sun and the wind, and to reach a target by 2015 whereby 30% of the country’s energy market is catered for by alternative energy.

Planning to provide an output of 80 MW the Okhotnykovo plant in Crimea will take over from the current largest solar power plant in Europe, in Italy, which produces 72 MW.

It is possible to create your own solar power plant, perhaps a little smaller than 207 football fields, by fitting solar PV to your roof or in your garden.

There are some companies offering great deals out there, and all energy you create will power your own home. What’s left over can be sold back to the National Grid.

On Dragon’s Den just a few weeks ago the dragons fought over funding for just such a business - surely a sign that this is a growing and authentic alternative to relying on the "Big Six", and their ever increasing prices, for your energy.

[Image: nejix]