PHOTON International The Photovoltaic Magazine

Megawatt PV system installed on former nuclear plant in Germany

On Dec. 17, a PV power plant was grid-connected on the bank of the intake canal to the former nuclear power plant in Greifswald, Germany. It took seven weeks to build the 1.8 MW system, which consists of around 11,000 modules (BP 3160 Q series) as well as six Sunny Central 250 kVA inverters from SMA.

	© Deutsche BP AG, Geschäftsbereich BP Solar
Symbolic location: Once, here in Lubmin, stood Germany's largest nuclear power plant. Today, a PV power plant is operating on the intake canal.

One of the PV system's special features is its position just a few meters above the Baltic Sea's water level. That's why an expert report examined the potential maximum level of high waters, and which is the reason behind mounting the solar modules at a safe distance. The electricity is fed into the grid of energy provider Edis and remunerated according to the Renewable Energy Law (REL). Installation costs for the system amounted to €8.2 million ($11.1 million), or around €4,600 per kW ($6,240 per kW), and were raised by an undisclosed operating company.

BP Solar installed the system and was also involved in the project's planning. »The project is a joint idea from BP Solar, its partners, and regional companies,« reports BP Solar's Gabriele Gottwald in regard to the decision to build on such a symbolic location. There haven't been any problems with radioactivity, she says.

The PV power plant is part of a project entitled Synergy Park Lubmin Heath with the goal to find a new use for the location of the former nuclear plant. Currently, an approval process is underway for a further system on the roof of the atomic waste transfer station. The new system will have a power of 957 kW, which means the two PV power systems will feed in around 2.5 million kWh per year.