Germany’s Cottbus City has passed the statute resolution for the 21 MW floating PV system on Cottbus Baltic Sea. Termed as the largest floating PV system in Germany, this move will further the city’s initiatives towards the goal of a CO2-free port district.

With this development, LEAG, a lignite power plant operator in Eastern Germany, and renewable energy projects developer EP New Energies (EPNE) can now submit the application for building the floating PV system.

Welcoming this move, Mayor of Cottbus/Chóśebuz City Holger Kelch said, “The city of Cottbus/Chóśebuz has set itself the goal of developing a CO2 -neutral port and city district in order to give new impetus to urban development. Floating PV is only the first step that we are now taking together, further projects such as wind turbines and a seawater heat pump will follow. Together with LEAG, we want to implement energy projects that take into account the criteria of innovation, sustainability and climate protection and are in line with the development goals of the post-mining lake in the areas of local recreation, tourism and nature conservation and also ensure an important part of energy independence”.

Reacting to this, Head of Renewable Energies at LEAG Fabian von Oesen said, “Although the floating solar system on the 1,900-hectare Cottbus Baltic Sea will take up less than 1% of the lake area, the system will make an important contribution to the climate-friendly power supply of the Cottbus port district. And I would like to thank the city of Cottbus for approving the project after an intensive review and see us as partners on the right path to meet the challenges of the energy supply of the future.”

Adding to this, EPNE Managing Director Dominique Guillou said, “With floating PV, we have a technology with a lot of potential that can be built on artificial bodies of water, such as open-pit lakes, with little conflict. As Germany’s largest floating PV system and its innovative anchoring system, the planned system on the Cottbuser Ostsee is a supra-regional lighthouse project. With the project, we combine CO2 -neutral energy production with the protection of the ecosystem and the interests of the public.”