Solar energy company Rheinland Solar has positioned a 750kW floating photovoltaic system on a quarry site located near Weeze, Germany.
It is expected to meet the annual power demands of Hülskens which operates the nearby sand and crushed rock manufacturing facility.
The floating foundations of the project were created by Hülskens along with several subsidiaries that focused on hydraulic engineering, logistics and concrete building of the system.
The bases of the system are constructed from steel and can support 1872 solar modules.
According to pv magazine, Hülskens project manager Lutz van der Kuil said the company could potentially build similar systems in the future.
“We will certainly give close consideration to just how much electricity the system produces and just how much of it we can use in the crushed rock plant,” he said. “If it goes as prepared, we will certainly gear up out other sites with floating solar in the future.”
The system is expected to produce 637,500 kWh annually, which is about 75 per cent of Hülskens’ gravel plant power consumption.
Rheinland Solar said the gravel plant had a total power intake of 1.3 million kWH per year, and the investment will be recouped within six years.