Photovoltaics
Germany Inaugurates Country’s Largest Floating PV Unit
The new photovoltaic facility on Philippsee Lake in southern Germany contains 27,160 solar modules.
Oct 22, 2024
The massive PV unit has an installed capacity of 15 megawatts and covers eight hectares, according to operator Nexentury.
It will provide 16 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year. It will be used by a local company for a gravel quarry, with excess power fed into the public grid.
Floating PV units on man-made lakes are considered a good way to maximize surface area and save land use.
“For the transition to clean energy to succeed, we have to exploit all available potential,” said Winfried Kretschmann, the state premier of the regional state of Baden-Württemberg, at the inauguration ceremony. “That includes floating photovoltaic facilities.”
The Philippsee unit won’t hold the record for long, though. A unit with 51,000 solar modules, an area of 16 hectares and a capacity of 26 megawatts is planned for the Cottbusser Ostsee lake in eastern Germany.
