Baywa re energizes more floating PV in the Netherlands

The German renewable energy company has completed two more projects, totaling 29.2 MW, in the country.

January 14, 2021 Sandra Enkhardt

One of Baywa re's recently completed floating photovoltaic power plants in the Netherlands.

Image: Baywa re

Baywa re has connected two more floating photovoltaic power plants to the grid in the Netherlands. The projects, developed by the Dutch subsidiary Groenleven, have a combined capacity of 29.2 MW and rely on a total of 70,000 solar modules.

Overall, the Munich-based company has implemented six floating photovoltaic systems in the country, with a total output of almost 100 MW. This makes Baywa re one of the market leaders in Europe, where this segment is still in its infancy.

The floating solar park “Nij Beets” is located on a lake that is also used to mine sand. The modules cover 23% of the available water surface. Special modules and a special construction were used so that enough light and air continues to reach the water surface. There was also enough space left near the shore to protect flora and fauna.

Baywa re and Groenleven are also working together with the Institute for Nature Education and Sustainability (IVN) to improve biodiversity through floating solar parks. The aim is to investigate possible effects on the flora and fauna over the next five years. In addition, all project partners have committed to participating in a community fund for the local population.

Baywa re sees floating photovoltaic systems as a contribution to defusing the debate about land use for the expansion of renewable energies in densely populated regions. “Carefully planned and built, floating PV can be just as cost-efficient as regular ground-mounted systems over an operating period of 25-30 years,” explained Benedikt Ortmann, global director of solar projects at Baywa re.

The company is seeing great interest in the financial markets for floating photovoltaic projects. “It enables a win-win situation for the environment, the local communities and, above all, for a cost-efficient energy transition,” Ortmann continued.

BayWa re and GroenLeven are also building five pilot agrivoltaic power projects in the Netherlands, where they are testing five different types of crops: blueberries, red currants, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries.

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