Norwegian power company Statkraft AS was one of the three winners in the latest innovation tender in Germany, securing a market premium for a 47-MW solar project combined with a 16-MW battery in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt.
Germany’s Federal Network Agency sought to award 400 MW in the round but received only three bids with a combined capacity of 84 MW. All three projects, envisaging a solar system tied to a battery, were accepted.
Statkraft’s solar-plus-storage plant will be built on the site of a former gravel pit in the municipality of Zerbst.
The power company has already started the tendering process for plant components. Once operational in the summer of 2025, the Zerbst power plant is expected to generate and store renewable electricity for around 14,000 households. The connected battery will be capable of supplying power for two hours.
With the Zerbst project, Statkraft took advantage of a regulation that will only apply in 2023 and allows bids for solar systems of over 20 MW in the innovation tender.
“The construction of co-location facilities using solar energy and battery storage is part of our ambitious growth goals in Germany,” said Claus Urbanke, Head of Statkraft’s Wind, Solar, and Storage Development in Germany at Statkraft. “We are currently experiencing strong growth and aim to commission between 300 and 500 MW of wind, solar, and storage capacity annually in the future,” Urbanke added.