Solar power

Solar power already plays a very important role in the energy system, from small household installations to large-scale projects. In recent years the cost of solar panels has dropped significantly, and they are now among the cheapest forms of electricity generation. Due to decreasing costs and low CO₂ emissions, volumes of solar panels will continue to grow in our core markets and around the world; contributing to an increasing proportion of future electrification. Solar panels can also be called photovoltaic panels or PV panels. 

Large-scale solar farms

Large-scale solar farms will play a pivotal role in transforming Europe’s energy system. Vattenfall’s portfolio is growing particularly in Germany and in the Netherlands where large solar farms can be operated subsidy free.

Photovoltaics is now one of the cheapest technologies among renewable energies, and solar power has a high level of acceptance among the population. However, critics of open space photovoltaics fear that expansion could take place at the expense of agricultural land used for food production. Therefore agrivoltaics, a combination of sustainable agriculture and solar power generation is an innovative concept of land use on a commercial scale with partners.

Vattenfall is developing and constructing the 76 MW Tützpatz solar park in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The aim of the project in Tützpatz is to combine module types on different mounting systems with suitable agricultural uses over an area of 95 hectares, and thus gain further practical experience for future commercial projects of this kind. Construction at Tützpatz started in summer 2023. 

Another example of smart use of technology is hybrid renewable parks, such as Haringvliet hybrid renewable park in the Netherlands where six wind turbines, PV capacity, and a battery were co-developed and are connected to the grid via the same connection. This hybrid renewable park was commissioned in 2022.

Vattenfall's first floating solar farm in Gendringen, the Netherlands

The solar farm, with a capacity of 1.2 megawatt, was built on the site of the sand and gravel extraction company Netterden. This means that from now on, half of the annual energy consumption of the electric sand dredge and the associated sorting and processing equipment will be generated sustainably on site.

Space for building solar farms is scarce in the Netherlands. A possible solution to this is to construct floating solar farms, for example on ponds and pools resulting from sand and gravel extraction. An additional benefit is that the water cools the panels naturally, which increases their efficiency compared to land-based solar panels.

Growth in solar energy

In 2023, more than 56 GW of solar capacity was installed in the EU and the share of solar energy in electricity production is steadily increasing. Vattenfall is currently developing and building several solar projects.

Solar energy and the environment

The environmental impacts occur mainly during the production of the solar panels, but solar energy emits no emissions during the operation. The environmental impact from the production of the panels is continuously decreasing due to increased use of renewable energy as well as more efficient resource use and production processes. We are one of the few companies to use Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) to keep track of the environmental aspects of solar energy. 

In addition, Vattenfall has several stringent requirements in place when selecting solar panel and inverter suppliers. In our European tenders to select suppliers, as well as commercial and legal requirements we place high demands on their quality and sustainability. Suppliers must also adhere to Vattenfall’s Code of Conduct.