ECOwind, a subsidiary of BayWa, together with Austrian energy supplier EVN, has realised a 24MW floating PV plant in Grafenworth, Lower Austria.
The 24.5MWp project is the fourth largest floating PV plant in Europe after three projects located in the Netherlands, and the largest of its kind in Austria and Central Europe.
The floating PV system in Grafenworth measuring approximately 14 hectares is built on the water surface in a former sand and gravel pit on two lakes.
It will produce 26,700MWh of green electricity per year and will be able to supply around 7500 Austrian households.
The project has seen rapid growth, with the 45,304 solar modules installed in only ten weeks total.
Benedikt Ortmann, Global Director of Solar Projects at BayWa, said: “We are in the decade that matters. As market leader in floating PV, BayWa sees the important role of this technology in the clean energy revolution, and we are excited to bring floating PV to more and more countries.
“It creates a new function for otherwise unused water surfaces. With this turnkey floating PV project, we have brought incremental improvements to our already cutting-edge systems in the Netherlands.
“Together with EVN and our Austrian subsidiary ECOwind, we managed to install the plant in record time – without compromising on environmental protection. Biodiversity and sustainability are major considerations for us in all floating PV projects.”