The plant has been inaugurated in the presence of guests from the worlds of science, industry, and politics, including representatives of the Saxon Ministry of Energy, Climate Protection, Environment and Agriculture, and Thomas Leberecht, the Mayor of Lohsa. Interested citizens also had the opportunity to learn about floating solar islands and the ‘PV2Float’ research project.
Leberecht said: “Originally created by flooding the Werminghoff opencast lignite mine, the Mortkasee artificial lake has become one of the first research sites for floating solar islands in Germany. This technology promises a higher power yield, since the cold water can have a positive impact on the efficiency of the solar modules. Another advantage is that previously unused mine lakes, which are not intended to be used for recreation, can be developed for green electricity generation. That offers major potential for the energy transition in Germany and here in our region.”
Three different floating solar islands have been installed on the Mortkasee. With a rated capacity of about 30 kW each, these are relatively small, but still provide important insights into the benefits of various technological solutions, how costs can be reduced, and how larger, future floating solar installations can be implement-ed in harmony with the environment. The research plant on the Mortkasee will operate until the end of 2027.
RWE, Fraunhofer ISE, and BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg are the three expert partners driving this research project forward. RWE has many years of experience in the construction and operation of utility scale solar plants and already operates a floating photovoltaic plant on a former cooling water lake in the Netherlands. Fraunhofer ISE is Europe’s largest solar research institute. It develops solutions for floating photovoltaics and other integrated photovoltaic technologies, in addition to carrying out research into public acceptance of these technologies. BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg has extensive scientific expertise in the field of aquatic ecology.
For more news and technical articles from the global renewable industry, read the latest issue of Energy Global magazine.
Energy Global's Autumn 2024 issue
Dive into the latest renewable energy insights in the Autumn issue of Energy Global, out now! The issue starts with an insightful guest comment from Cristiano Spillati, Managing Director at Limes Renewable Energy where he discusses the need for European renewable energy suppliers to accelerate the rate of the energy transition. This is followed by a regional report from Cornwall Insights on the battery energy storage industry in Australia. This issue explores key topics including offshore wind subsea cables, offshore wind support vessels, digitalisation, wind turbine components, and more!
