RWE Commissions New 20 MW Solar Farm in Bedburg

RWE has put a new photovoltaic plant into operation with a capacity of 20 MW peak (15.7 MWac) in Bedburg, in North Rhine-Westphalia. The plant was constructed on recultivated land close to the A 44 motorway in just six months. More than 36,600 solar modules generate enough green electricity to supply about 5,400 German households a year with climate-friendly power.

Katja Wünschel, CEO RWE Renewables Europe & Australia: “We are putting every effort into expanding our solar portfolio, and this includes using sites alongside motorways, like the one here in Bedburg. This is the seventh solar project that we have connected to the grid in the Rhenish lignite area, as we work to drive forward the energy transition in our home market of Germany. All in all, we will invest about 11 billion euros net in green generation capacity in Germany by 2030.”

Immediately adjacent to the Bedburg solar plant, RWE is trialling the combination of agriculture and green electricity generation at its Agri-PV demonstration plant.

In addition to the Agri-PV plant and the new solar farm in Bedburg, RWE already operates five large solar projects in the Rhenish lignite area – four of them with integrated battery storage systems. Further photovoltaic projects in the region are being planned, for example in the Hambach opencast mine.