Assembly of Germany’s largest floating solar power plant, developed by EP New Energies, an EPH subsidiary, has begun
11. 6. 2024
The floating solar plant on the country’s largest post-mining lake “Cottbuser Ostsee”, is scheduled to go into operation in winter 2024/2025 and generate around 29 000 MWh of electricity per year. This is enough electricity to cover the annual consumption of around 8 250 households. All that while not using any land areas. An important aspect and technological innovation of this initiative is its potential to fight against the overheating of lakes, which is critical for the welfare of organisms including fish or bacteria in the ecosystem.
“With its 29 MW installed capacity, the Cottbuser Ostsee will become the largest floating solar power plant in Germany. By harnessing a combination of floating PV, wind power, and lake thermal energy, the Cottbus Ostsee region is ready to become a European role model in the field of sustainable energy supplies. This is a significant milestone in the commitment of the EP Corporate Group towards sustainable energy and new energy infrastructure.” emphasizes Tomáš David, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of EP Power Europe, responsible for renewables in the EP Corporate Group.
An innovative method will be used during the assembly. Over 51,000 solar modules will be mounted on around 1,800 floating bodies, known as solar boats, in the coming months. These will be attached to 34 groups of pilings, built into the lakebed. The pre-assembly phase of the solar modules on the solar boats will take place directly on the shore of the lake. The assembled solar boats are then transported by boat to their designated positions on the lake. The plant’s technical equipment includes 88 inverters, eight transformer stations and two medium-voltage systems.
