The energy provider RWE has installed solar modules on a lake near the Amer coal-fired power plant in Geertruidenberg in the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant. The company had already announced the project in March last year and presented the concept.
Anchored to concrete blocks on the lake bottom
The floating installation was realised on a cooling water lake in the immediate vicinity of the Amer coal-fired power plant. Since the lake has not been used for this purpose for many decades and there is no direct connection with the nearby Amer River, it is ideally suited.
A total of 13,400 solar modules with a total output of 6.1 megawatts were installed on floaters. To prevent the modules from drifting - in strong winds, for example - they are anchored to 52 concrete blocks that lie on the bottom of the lake. Each of these weighs 4.6 tonnes.
25 kilometres of cables
The technicians have laid a total of 25 kilometres of cable to bring the electricity generated to the shore and feed it into the power plant. Other solar plants also feed their electricity into this grid. This is because the floating generator is the latest of a total of three solar plants at the Amer power station.
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RWE has built two more ground-mounted systems on the site. These have a combined output of 2.36 megawatts. In addition, there is a system on the roof of the coal-fired power plant with an output of 550 kilowatts.
Exploring other technological options
However, this is the first floating solar plant to be built by RWE. More are to follow. "We are committed to developing and implementing innovative solutions to further advance the use of renewable energy. Our Amer floating photovoltaic project is the first of its kind for RWE," explains Katja Wünschel, Managing Director Onshore Wind and Solar Europe & Australia at RWE Renewables.
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"It adds a new, promising technology to our portfolio. The realisation and operation of this project deepens our knowledge of the technical possibilities of floating solar plants, for example in terms of scalability and energy yield," she goes on to say.
Conventional becomes renewable
The project is also a showcase for how RWE can transform conventional power station sites into renewable energy facilities and at the same time to promote innovative solutions for a sustainable energy system, adds Roger Miesen, managing director of RWE Generation and head of the company in the Netherlands. "The Netherlands is one of RWE's strategic core markets and we will continue to contribute to the energy transition in the country through the expansion of renewables as well as with CO2-free, flexible capacity," he emphasises. (su/mfo)
