RWE continues to keep up the pace with the expansion of its solar portfolio. The company is erecting several solar parks with a total capacity of 86.5 megawatts peak (74.6 MWac) along a motorway (A44n) in North Rhine-Westphalia. With about 141,000 solar modules, they will generate enough electricity to supply the equivalent of 27,700 German households with climate-friendly electricity. The project sites in the Rhenish region lie to the west and east of the motorway between the towns of Bedburg and Jüchen, and are on recultivated land at the Garzweiler opencast mine. The new photovoltaic panels are expected to start supplying electricity from the end of this year.
Katja Wünschel, CEO RWE Renewables Europe & Australia: “We are making every effort to drive forward the expansion of our solar portfolio, and are making increasing use of locations alongside motorways. These projects not only benefit from faster approval processes but in most cases also enjoy a much higher level of public acceptance. Our new solar plants along the A44n could thus serve as a role model for further projects in the region and beyond.”
Dr Lars Kulik, CTO Lignite at RWE Power: “The solar projects along the A44n emphasise that structural change and the expansion of renewables in the Rhenish mining area are moving forward at a strong pace. There is plenty of space in and around our opencast mines that we are also using for solar projects. The new plants are taking shape on recultivated land, and they are connected via the grid infrastructure at Garzweiler opencast mine. The employees of RWE Power also contribute their knowledge and experience to support the construction and subsequent operation of the solar plants. That means we are creating further prospects for our co-workers here in the region.”
Keeping up the pace for the expansion of solar energy in the Rhenish region
A strip of land alongside the A44n near Bedburg became the site of a photovoltaic system constructed by RWE last year. In the immediate vicinity, RWE is also trialling the combination of agriculture and green electricity generation at its agrivoltaics demonstration plant. All in all, RWE operates seven solar farms in the Rhenish region, four with their own integrated battery storage units.
In April, RWE began construction of a new photovoltaic system at Hambach opencast mine. Near the township of Niederzier, more than 22,000 solar modules are being installed, which will collectively generate enough electricity to supply about 4,500 standard German households. Further photovoltaic projects in the region are at the planning stage.
A map and pictures for media use are available at the RWE Media Centre (credit: RWE).
