RWE’s Fifth Solar Farm Commissioned in Rhenish Lignite Mining Area in Germany

The first stage of RWE’s fifth solar farm in the Rhenish mining area opencast mine has been completed. Just weeks after the RWE Neuland Solar Farm in the Hambach opencast mine was commissioned, the first approximately 36,700 solar modules of the neighboring RWE Neuland 1 Solar Farm have begun feeding green electricity into the grid. This initial phase of the new photovoltaic plant has a capacity of 20 MW peak (17.6 MWac) and can supply climate-friendly electricity to around 5,370 households. An additional 15.2 MWp (12 MWac) extension is already under construction.

The two large photovoltaic plants, RWE Neuland Solar Farm and RWE Neuland 1 Solar Farm, currently feature nearly 50,000 installed solar modules and are located at the foot of Sophienhöhe hill near the future shore of the planned Hambach Lake. Until the lake is fully filled with water, the area can be used for solar electricity production for many years. Another solar farm is already being planned at the western edge of the opencast mine, north of Niederzier.

A collaboration agreement has been signed with Neuland Hambach GmbH, representing the interests of the six municipalities adjacent to the opencast mine: Elsdorf, Jülich, Kerpen, Merzenich, Niederzier, and Titz.