Europe's largest floating photovoltaic power plant is connected to the grid

    Dutch solar project developer Groenleven, a subsidiary of the German renewable energy company Bayware, has built a 27.3 MWac floating solar power plant located in an abandoned sand quarry in Zwolle, Overijssel, the Netherlands On the lake.

    The Bomhofsplas Solar Power Park-which is said to be the largest solar power park in Europe and outside of China-uses 72,000 solar modules provided by an unnamed manufacturer, all of which are installed in an east-west orientation. Groenleven Floating Photovoltaic Panels Project Manager Willem Biesheuvel told Photovoltaics: “I think that from the perspective of power generation and stability, the east-west installation method makes the most sense. We always use this system. And, from the perspective of maintenance, cable From the perspective of management, stability, anchoring, and ecology, we think this is the best approach, and we will not adopt other orientations in other projects."

    In order to examine the long-term effects of floating photovoltaic systems in detail, we will continue to carry out water quality analysis within a few years.

    Biesheuvel explained that this method can better deal with the impact of wind and waves. These solar boats consist of four large pontoons and a roof-like steel frame to hold 16 photovoltaic modules-eight facing east and eight facing west. He said: "In this way, the system is not affected by wind." He added that the power station only requires 24 hectares of surface area. "On land where south-facing installations are more common, projects of this scale require much more land."

    He said that another advantage is that only one medium-voltage cable is needed from the floating system to land, and the power generated by the power station can be more evenly distributed to the grid. The electricity will be sold to local residents and businesses by the Dutch energy agency Blauwvinger Energie.

    In July of this year, Bayware sold the power station to a consortium consisting of the provincial energy transition fund Energiefonds Overijssel, Blauwvinger Energie and an unnamed private investor. The power station has started construction in February 2020.

    In the Netherlands, Groenleven has built a 14.5 MW floating array near Zwolle, a 2 MW power station in Weperpolder and an 8 MW floating power station in Tynaarlo. The Netherlands has 52,000 hectares of shallow inland waters, so it has a huge potential for floating photovoltaics.