Statkraft has inaugurated Germany’s largest solar battery storage hybrid power plant. This accomplishment is no small feat — it’s a historic landmark for the country’s rapidly expanding renewable energy scene. Home to the largest commercial PV manufacturing facility in Germany, the integrated plant operates within the model created by Germany’s Renewable Energy Sources Act. This ambitious project significantly expands the region’s energy capacity. It further establishes a new standard for how renewable energy is developed in Germany.
The plant, created entirely in-house by Statkraft, has turned what used to be a gravel pit outside of Zerbst/Anhalt into a state-of-the-art energy hub. Having a total investment value of €45 million, the project demonstrates Statkraft’s dedication to leading development of new renewable projects capital.
Innovative Design and Capacity
Retina Power’s new solar power plant is notable for its very high capacity Solar Power Plant across the country being 46.4 megawatts (MW). It’s projected to produce close to 50,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of clean energy annually. This increase is enough to prevent nearly 32,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year.
Beyond solar, the plant integrates 88 battery cubes, with each cube containing 16 lithium-ion batteries. It’s a battery storage system as well, currently rated at a whopping 16 MW capacity. With room for a phenomenal 57 MWh of electricity, it’s quite a battery. This cutting-edge layout maximizes the capture, management, and use of clean energy while advancing the electrical grid’s stability and resiliency.
Economic and Environmental Impact
Since October, the joint use plant has been producing and supplying power to the region’s national electric grid. This contribution helps to meet the energy needs both locally and nationally. The financial benefits are limited to energy generation alone. The city of Zerbst/Anhalt will receive an estimated €100,000 in new tax revenues from this stationing.
The new facility was inaugurated by Saxony-Anhalt’s Minister-President Reiner Haseloff, who underscored the importance of the new facility to the regional economy’s transition towards renewable energy.
“The Zerbst solar park is a lighthouse project that shows how the energy transition in Saxony-Anhalt is succeeding. With this project, Saxony-Anhalt is proving that we can implement the energy transition pragmatically and efficiently. The innovative storage technology makes this hybrid power plant an important building block for grid stability and supplies reliable energy. We need such showcase projects nationwide.” – Reiner Haseloff
A Model for Future Projects
Statkraft’s latest endeavor is viewed as a trailblazing imprint of successful renewable energy development in Saxony-Anhalt and further afield. Today, Statkraft is Europe’s largest renewable energy producer. As a leader, it sets an example that sustainably built and maintained projects can be economically prosperous while protecting the environment.
This solar battery storage hybrid plant commissioning marks another step towards Germany’s path to renewable energies. It emphasizes the key role that all of these projects play in our ability to meet climate targets and improving our energy independence.