IBC SOLAR commissions megawatt-scale PV Plant for commercial solar power self-consumption

11 September 2013

IBC SOLAR AG, (Bad Staffelstein, Germany), has finalized three ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants for WVE GmbH (Kaiserslautern, Germany) as general contractor (EPC).

As the owner of the plant, WVE GmbH, a subsidiary of the utility Kaiserslautern (Stadtwerke Kaiserslautern SWK), now takes over responsibility for the operation and maintenance activities. IBC SOLAR AG was responsible for the technical detailed planning and construction of all three PV plants

6,000 MWh of solar power annually

The largest of the three solar parks with a generation capacity around 6.4 MWp is the Hölzengraben project in the urban area of Kaiserslautern in south-western Germany. The system was designed and built in an east-west orientation. For the Hölzengraben plant a total of 25,400 PV modules were installed, which generate almost 6,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of solar power annually.

IBC SOLAR’s largest east-west PV installation

"Even expensive areas or those with limited space, as you often find in urban development, can be used optimally through this type of module arrangement. Unlike with the otherwise common southerly orientation, it allows you to install more modules and thus increase the yield accordingly," explains Ralf Schuberth, Project Manager at IBC SOLAR. This is IBC SOLAR’s largest east-west installation yet, and its largest system built for commercial self-consumption as well.

3 MW for self-consumption

Parts of the whole plant are being sold by WVE GmbH Kaiserslautern to investors, including two resident industrial/commercial companies. They will use a 3 megawatts share of the plant for self-consumption.

Solar power is cheaper than usual electricity procurement

"Commercial self-consumption is worth it: in Germany, the production costs of solar power are less than 11 cents per kilowatt hour. The usual electricity procurement cost for many tradesmen is considerably higher," explains Kurt Schwan, PV project developer at WVE GmbH Kaiserslautern, going on to say "this means that businesses not only reduce their electricity bills but also get planning security through their energy costs. WVE GmbH thereby establishes advantages of location in Kaiserslautern, which translate into a significant competitive advantage for the commercial investors."

East-west installations shifting electricity production into the morning and evening hours

In conjunction with commercial self-consumption solutions, east-west installations have a further advantage: electricity production is shifted into the morning and evening hours and the midday peak is therefore reduced. This means that peaks in power consumption in the morning and evening can be better covered. Coordinating solar power production with the power consumption profile of the companies allows the self-consumption rate for solar power to increase and makes utilization of renewable energy particularly efficient.

As well as the Hölzengraben project, IBC SOLAR AG has also completed the Sötern (Nohfelden municipality, Saarland) and Sembach (Kaiserslautern disctrict) PV power plants for WVE GmbH. The plants have an output of 1.6 MWp each. After the test run, local investors took over both projects. Once the projects are completed, WVE GmbH will be responsible for the technical management of all three PV power plants and the handover to the investors.