RWE Brings Online Its First Floating Solar Plant

RWE has commissioned its first floating photovoltaic (PV) project. The project consists of around 13,400 solar panels that float on a lake near the Amer power plant in Geertruidenberg, in the Netherlands’ province of Noord- Brabant. 

The floating solar field has an installed capacity of 6.1 megawatts peak (MWp). The floating project was the latest of three solar installations at the Amer power plant.

Roger Miesen, CEO of RWE Generation and Country Chair for the Netherlands: ”With Solar Park Amer we demonstrate that it is possible to turn conventional asset sites into landmark projects that promote innovative solutions for a sustainable electricity system. The Netherlands are one
of RWE’s strategic core markets and we continue to contribute to the growth of renewable energy, as well as to CO2 free, flexible capacity in the country.”

According to RWE, the solar panels float on a lake whose waters were once used as cooling water.

"The lake has not been used for that purpose for many decades, has no direct connection with the nearby Amer river and is therefore ideally suited for floating panels. To prevent the panels from drifting away in strong winds and colliding with the surrounding dike, they are anchored at 104 points to 52 concrete blocks sunk onto the bottom of the lake," the company said.

The blocks weigh 4.6 tons each. A total of 25 kilometres of cable has been used to connect the panels electrically to the shore. The produced electricity is fed into the power station’s grid.