Rosebel — Suriname

Solar power plant in Brokopondo, Suriname. Approximate location 5.089, -55.2552.

SolarBrokopondoSurinameAssumed PV

Rosebel is a 5.7 MW solar power plant in Brokopondo, Suriname. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 2.4k homes (estimated). It ranks #2 of 2 Suriname power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2017, it is around 9 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, solar supplies about 0.6% of Suriname's electricity; the national grid averages 322 gCO₂/kWh (52.9% low-carbon) (2024).

5.7MW installed capacity
2,425homes powered (est.)
2017commissioned (~9 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WKS0063569.

Data status

Known data

FacilityRosebel WRI
CountrySuriname · Brokopondo WRI
Coordinates5.089, -55.2552 WRI
FuelSolar WRI
MW installed capacity5.7 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000832653; operating plant capacity
Verification noteQuality label backfilled from existing source-backed capacity provenance on 2026-07-05; capacity value was not changed. source-verified
Commissioned2017 WRI
TechnologyAssumed PV WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2 / 2 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1 / 1 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent2,425 calculated
Climate26.6°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 42/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

OwnerNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is a source-verified 2026 capacity claim: 6 MW for Rosebel solar project.

GEM · 2026 · operating plant capacity

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000832653; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

Technically it is described as Assumed PV. Solar PV converts sunlight directly into electricity with no moving parts or fuel; output varies by time of day and weather, so it pairs with storage or flexible backup.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Local climate & thermal context

This solar plant converts sunlight directly into electricity with photovoltaic panels. It sits in a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 5.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

26.6°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
3,156cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
49 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 26 °CJF: 26 °CFM: 26 °CMA: 26 °CAM: 26 °CMJ: 26 °CJJ: 27 °CJA: 27 °CAS: 28 °CSO: 28 °CON: 27 °CND: 26 °CD28 °C

This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.

Solar PV loses ~0.35%/°C above 25°C cell temperature — roughly 1.0% at warm-season highs here (estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
42/100environmental-severity index
2.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
73 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

Suriname has 1 solar power plant in this dataset, together about 6 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 5.089, -55.2552 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Rosebel?

Rosebel is a 5.7 MW solar power plant in Brokopondo, Suriname, commissioned in 2017.

How many homes can Rosebel power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 2,425 homes (estimated).

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