German partners build 3MWp floating solar plant

German renewable energy company BayWa r.e. is finalizing construction of a 3MWp floating solar plant for the compatriot company Quarzwerke which is looking to further reduce its carbon footprint.

The plant is being built on the Silbersee III lake in the city of Haltern am See on an area of just under 1.8 hectares for the family-owned company Quarzwerke, which specializes in the extraction, processing and refining of industrial minerals.

Once completed, around 5,800 photovoltaic modules will have a combined installed rated output of around 3MWp and will produce around 3 million kWh of electricity per year.

According to the partners, this will save around 1,100 tons of CO2 each year.

Quarzwerke intends to use 75% of the green electricity for themselves to further reduce their CO2 footprint, the company said.

In addition, the floating photovoltaics (PV) system will enable the company to become independent of rising energy and CO2 prices, while the surplus green electricity is to be fed into the public grid.

Daniel Duric, plant manager at Quarzwerke Haltern, said: “Following the construction of two highly efficient combined heat and power plants in recent years, we are investing further in the sustainable ecological future of the company with one of Germany’s largest floating photovoltaic plants.

“By using the green electricity we produce ourselves, we can significantly reduce our CO2 emissions.”

Stephan Auracher, managing director at BayWa r.e. Power Solutions, added: “Floating PV offers an attractive investment opportunity for companies in the raw materials and building materials industries, which often own idle or only partially used expanses of water. These areas hold immense untapped potential for the energy transition.

“With our turnkey floating PV systems, our years of expertise and attractive self-consumption and financing models, we ensure the best possible economic solution for our customers. Together with Quarzwerke, we are pioneering the technology with Germany’s first subsidy-free floating PV system and view this as the starting signal for the further adoption of this solar application in Germany.”

Until now, all floating-PV projects in Germany have been implemented within the funding framework of the EEG (German Renewable Energy Act).

With one of the largest floating PV plants in Germany currently, BayWa r.e. has demonstrated that plants can be operated economically even without subsidies from the EEG if sufficient electricity is used for own consumption, according to the company.