Germany To Build The Country's Largest Floating Photovoltaic Plant!
Nov 08, 2022
Government officials in the eastern German city of Cottbus have paved the way for the development of Germany's largest floating photovoltaic power plant. The solar power plant will be built on Lake Cottbus Ostsee, an artificial lake formed by a former open-pit lignite mine.
The news of the upcoming solar power project was announced by the mayor of Cottbus, Holger Kelch, and the energy company LEAG.
With the government's green signal for the floating photovoltaic project, project developers LEAG and EP New Energies now have until the end of 2022 to apply to the authorities for the required construction permits, an official statement said. According to the details released, the solar project is expected to produce around 20,000MWh of clean electricity per year.
The lake solar project is expected to start construction in spring 2023, and LEAG has previously mentioned that the project could be commissioned next year.
Fabian von Oesen, Head of Renewable Energy at LEAG, said: " The Cottbus Ostsee lake covers an area of 1,900 hectares. Although the floating photovoltaic plant covers less than one percent of the lake, it will make an important contribution to a climate-friendly power supply for the Cottbus harbour area."
The size of the lake makes it feasible to install this type of floating photovoltaic plant without encroaching on the lake shore used for tourism or interfering with the planned route for shipping, according to the press release. LEAG calculates that the plant will generate enough electricity for 5,700 households per year.
Mayor Holger Kelch added: "Floating photovoltaics are just the first step we are taking together. Projects like wind turbines and heat pumps for lake water will follow suit."
Lake Cottbus Ostsee will also become the largest artificial inland lake in Germany. Germany wants to reach 215GW of installed photovoltaic capacity by the end of this decade.
In addition, LEAG plans to develop other renewable energy projects on other former fossil fuel project sites in Brandenburg.
