05/17/2023
Source: Energy & Management Powernews
For the switch from lignite to solar power, Lausitzer Energie AG (Leag) is building Germany's largest floating PV plant on a former open pit, the Cottbus Ostsee.
In the future, solar power will be generated on the man-made Cottbus Ostsee, a residual open pit. For this, the Lausitzer Energie AG (Leag) is building Germany's largest floating PV plant, according to its own information. It is to cover an area of 16 hectares, or around 22 soccer fields. According to project developer EP New Energies (EPNE), commissioning is planned for the second half of 2024. The former Cottbus-Nord open pit mine has been flooded since 2019 and is expected to become Germany's largest artificial inland lake before the end of the decade.
The 29 MW solar plant is expected to generate around 29,000 MWh of electricity per year. That would be enough to power 8,250 households. Some 51,000 solar modules will be mounted on floats that will be attached to so-called dolphins. These 15-meter-long tubes anchor the system in the mining lake. Ramming in the last dolphins was attended by Leag CEO Thorsten Kramer, Cottbus Mayor Tobias Schick and EPNE CEO Dominique Guillou.
Part of Leag
"This project consistently fits into our transformation project Gigawatt Factory, with which we want to transform Lusatia into a green powerhouse," said Leag CEO Thorsten Kramer. He added that the plant is intended to become a starting point for further renewable projects in the area around the lake. "With a combination of floating PV, wind power and lake thermal energy, the Cottbus Baltic Sea is rising to become a model region for sustainable energy supply," Kramer said.
The Fraunhofer Institute confirmed enormous PV potentials of up to 2,700 MW for areas on mining lakes in former coalfields. However, incentives would need to be created through innovation tenders, as the cost of floating solar is higher than conventional ground-mounted PV systems. With the removal of regulatory hurdles as well as the classification of open pit lakes as conversion areas in the EEG, the technology could contribute significantly to the expansion goals of the federal government.
Power from the sun instead of lignite
Mayor Tobias Schick said, "This is a pound in the structural change, which needs and will get a secure, stable and green supply of energy." The claim remains that all this must remain affordable with a view to industry, companies and not least consumers. Transformation and climate protection only work together and in consensus on the path to a sustainable and climate-friendly future. "Ultimately, we gain quality of life and urban quality for all of us through such projects," Schick hoped.
"In addition to its size and importance for the future Cottbus Baltic Sea model region, the floating PV project is also a highlight from a project development perspective," emphasized Dominique Guillou, managing director of EPNE. "The plant is built on the dry lake bottom and then floats up as the water level rises." He said this is unprecedented and the reason for the innovative mooring system.
The facility should fit in well with the overall appearance of the lake and also be in harmony with tourist use, he said. The advantage of the method, he said, is the low-maintenance anchoring due to fewer necessary anchors and the elimination of a large number of anchor chains, which have to be readjusted as the water level rises and falls.
Author: Susanne Harmsen
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