Around 141,000 solar modules are set to supply electricity for 27,700 German households.
RWE continues to keep up the pace with the expansion of its solar portfolio. The company has commissioned several solar farms along a motorway (A44n) in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany following around eight months of construction. The total installed capacity amounts to 86.5 megawatts peak (74.6 MWac).
With about 141,000 solar modules, the plants will generate enough electricity to supply the equivalent of 27,700 German households with climate-friendly electricity. The project sites in the Rhenish region lie to the west and east of the motorway between the towns of Bedburg and JĂĽchen and are on recultivated land at the Garzweiler opencast mine.
Katja Wünschel, CEO RWE Renewables Europe and Australia, said: “The commissioning of the solar farms alongside the motorway shows that we are consistently driving forward the expansion of our solar portfolio. And we aren’t done there yet. Next year, we will add several thousand solar modules to the project. With wind and solar systems side by side, we are building a renewable energy road on recultivated land along the A44n motorway as a blueprint for further projects in the region.”
Implementation of the solar farm’s second stage with a capacity of 19.9 megawatts peak (15.5 MWac) is planned for next year. More than 30,600 additional solar modules are to be installed on recultivated land in the municipal area of Jüchen. Subject to planning permission, the first half of 2026 could see the start of construction. Commissioning is planned for the end of 2026. Solar projects along motorways not only benefit from faster approval processes but in most cases also enjoy a higher level of public acceptance.
RWE is also currently constructing the Bedburg 3 wind farm with nine turbines and a total capacity of around 60 megawatts close to the A44n solar sites. RWE builds and operates solar and wind projects with a total capacity of 540 megawatts in the Rhenish region.
Dr Lars Kulik, CTO Lignite at RWE Power, said: “The solar and wind projects on recultivated land along the A44n emphasise that structural change and the expansion of renewables in the Rhenish lignite area are going hand in hand. There is plenty of space in and around our opencast mines that we are also using for renewables projects. In addition, the employees of RWE Power contribute their knowledge and experience to support the construction and subsequent operation of the solar and wind farms. This means we are creating further prospects for our employees here in the region.”
