Municipal energy and drinking water provider RheinEnergie AG has switched on a 320 kW, Q Cells-module rooftop belonging to the Cologne-based waste disposal and recycling company Abfallentsorgungs und Verwertungsgesellschaft Köln mbH.
German-based Hanwha Q Cells delivered 1,280 high-performance Q.PRO G-3 solar modules with a 250 Wp rating for the system.
The solar plant, on the roof of a storage building, will produce around 290,000 kWh of electricity per year for the grid.
"We are relying on power from renewable energies and have made it our goal to expand our portfolio of photovoltaic systems," said Thomas Zerres, head of renewable energies bio and solar with RheinEnergie.
"To secure our solar plants' economic viability for decades into the future, we are very careful to only use high-quality PV modules. The Q Cells modules are produced in Europe. Having seen the results of the demanding VDE tests, and in light of their long life, we are impressed."
The new plant in Niehl is RheinEnergie's 16th photovoltaic system, half of which are in the Cologne municipal area.
In total, the systems have a production capacity of just over 18 MW and additional systems have been planned.
"In collaboration with our affiliate RheinEnergie in the utility group holding company, we are operating the new photovoltaic system and making a significant contribution to protecting the climate and saving resources," said Andreas Freund, spokesperson for the management of AVG Köln.
Under the new German Renewable Energy Act the Erneuerbare Energien Gesetz, or EEG commercial and industrial users can benefit from PV systems.
"We are pleased to be working productively with a company like RheinEnergie. Together we show that solar energy makes sense for a wide range of actors in Germany," said Ralf Wirth, Hanwha Q Cells' key account manager for German-speaking regions.
"In addition to commercial and industrial companies, municipal companies can also take advantage of photovoltaic systems. In future, we will continue to grow in this segment," added Michael Geib, Hanwha Q Cells' head of sales in Germany.
