LEAG kicks off preparations for 21-MW floating PV project in Germany

German energy company LEAG has launched preparatory works for the construction of a 21-MW floating solar plant on the Cottbuser Ostsee -- an artificial lake that is currently under development near the city of Cottbus in eastern Germany.

Using vibroflotation densification, the company started in October to compact the dredged soil in the former open-cast lignite mine Cottbus-Nord where the artificial lake is being developed and this process is expected to be completed by the end of March 2022, LEAG said on Wednesday.

Unlike other floating systems, LEAG had to find a technical solution for the installation of the PV plant that would allow it to float without changing its position and for this purpose the dredged soil on the area of the former mine has to be compacted.

The floater will have an area of up to 18 hectares (44.49 acres), or less than 1% of the lake surface, and will be built far away from the lake shores meant for tourism purposes and away from shipping routes. Once a permit is granted, construction works are scheduled to start in 2023. The solar plant is expected to generate 20,000 MWh of electricity which is equal to the annual consumption of 5,700 households. The produced electricity will be transported to the eastern shore of the lake and then to the Cottbus-Nord substation.

The flooding of the lake is running according to plan and the PV system is expected to float in 2024, said LEAG's geotechnical head Franziska Uhlig-May.

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