Germany: The world's first vertical solar plant on water

DW (English)

Solar panels rising vertically from Bavarian quarry lakes. Floating PV saves space, cuts costs, and powers gravel plants right where energy is needed. A pioneering idea with global potential.

Transcript

00:00In the mist, these vertical floating solar panels are perhaps a strange sight.

00:06But they can power an entire gravel pit.

00:09A pioneering innovation from southern Germany.

00:13What makes them so special?

00:15The 2,600 modules are aligned to catch not just midday sun,

00:20but also the morning and evening light, and on both sides.

00:25That spreads electricity production more evenly across the day.

00:29Conventional systems peak at noon, often producing surplus power.

00:34The solar panels rest on the water, floating like boats.

00:38A sailboat carries its sail above. That's the PV panel.

00:42Below, the hull, the float, we have that too, and the keel drops into the water.

00:47Like sailboats, they tilt with the wind and yield when there's resistance.

00:52Normally, systems like this are anchored to the lake bed.

00:56Here, ropes stretch across the lake to hold the platforms. That makes installation cheaper.

01:03That way we need far less material. We don't brace against wind or snow. We bend rather than resist.

01:11The output is 2,000 megawatt-hours a year, enough to cover two-thirds of the gravel pit's demand.

01:18Gravel pits that have a quarry lake are ideal customers for floating solar panels, especially as their energy needs are high.

01:26The lakes form through wet pit mining, which reaches below the water table.

01:31Germany's southern state of Bavaria is key here.

01:35It's home to nearly a third of the country's 2,600 sand and gravel pits, 249 of them with lakes.

01:42So how big is the potential?

01:45The International Energy Agency estimates that by 2030, global renewable energy capacity will double to 4,600 gigawatts.

01:55Solar energy will account for 78% of this, wind power for 19%, and hydropower for 3%.

02:02And floating solar is gaining ground. Not only in Germany. Pioneering projects exist in Africa, too.

02:09Take Ghana. It's home to the largest floating solar farm in West Africa, located at the Bui Reservoir on the Black Volta River.

02:18Panels are resting on the floaters, and we are using the same floaters as the walkway, as you can see that I'm standing on one.

02:27For maintenance purposes, we are able to come and have a daily inspection, as you can see my team doing.

02:34So each day we do an inspection on the PV models and the cables that we have here.

02:41The floating solar power plant currently generates 5 megawatts at peak output.

02:48The operating company says that's enough to power the closest town, Wenqi, with a population of around 40,000.

02:55Combined with the electricity from Bui's hydroelectric plant and solar panels on land,

03:01the plant can supply hundreds of thousands of homes with clean energy.

03:05Worldwide, the output from floating solar farms has jumped from just 10 megawatts to 7,700 in recent years.

03:16Another advantage? Water cools the modules, boosting efficiency.

03:20And solar and water doesn't compete with farmland. That matters in regions short on space.

03:26In Germany, however, floating solar is still rare. Nevertheless, for hundreds of gravel pits,

03:32it could open the door to a greener future.

03:36The

03:38The

03:40The

03:42The

03:46The

03:48The

03:50The

03:51The

03:52The

03:53The

03:55The

03:56The

03:57The

03:58The

03:59The

04:00The

04:01The

Category

Transcript

Comments

Recommended