5.3 MW have been installed in what is one of Hessia's largest ground-mounted PV installations. Responsible for the accurately timed construction of the turn-key-power plant is EPC contractor SunEnergy Europe from Hamburg, Northern Germany.
The municipal power plant, erected on the premises of a former coal powered plant, was realised through a cooperation between the community of Woelfersheim/Hessia and the local utility Ovag. The 7.5 M investment was raised by a GmbH (corporation with limited liability), formed by the two above mentioned parties. Plans are, though, to have citizens form a solar cooperative to profit from the locally produced clean energy.
Since late September, the installation, adjacent to Woelfersheimer Lake, a former brown coal open-cast mining site, produces environmentally friendly electricity on about 10 acres and meets the electricity demand of about 1,500 households After dismantling the old coal power plant, the building rubble was used to fill the grounds, thus leading to a highly heterogenous subsurface structure.
The challenging subsurface conditions, however, did not interfere with the rather short construction time span of a mere 6 weeks inbetween first land survey and inverter delivery. Even though it was a bit tricky to calculate the parameters for the substructure on the grounds of a somewhat inaccurate soil expertise, thanks to close cooperation between all parties we were able to find solutions quickly and stay within schedule, Christian Rolle, SunEnergy's construction supervisor, says.
Not only is the new Solar Power plant a bonus for the climate but takes Wölfersheim a large step further along the way to a sustainable community development regional commitment for the energy transition included. Monday, 26th October, saw the connection to grid in Woelfersheim, so the official inauguration ceremony could take place as early as this October.
