With 32 MWp, the new solar park, which will supply Resonac Graphite Austria with green electricity, complements the existing wind farm and makes efficient use of the existing grid infrastructure.
Wien/Nickelsdorf (OTS) – The power of the sun and the wind is combined. Since the beginning of March, the largest solar park in the company’s history in Nickelsdorf, Burgenland, has been producing sustainable solar power.
With an output of around 32 MWp, over 10,000 households could be supplied with renewable electricity every year and more than 20,000 tons of CO2 could be saved. This corresponds to the CO2 emissions of over 8,200 cars per year. However, the purchaser of the electricity is an industrial company, the graphite electrode manufacturer Resonac Graphite Austria, as a cooperation partner.
The combination of the two generation sources was made possible by using ImWind’s existing wind farm network infrastructure. The hybrid feed-in made it possible to minimize the costs of network expansion and to make optimal use of the existing project areas. The different seasonal generation curves of wind and solar energy enable more consistent electricity generation throughout the year, regardless of weather influences.
The Nickelsdorf solar park was a novelty for ImWind in many respects. Starting with the technical combination of wind and solar power in Burgenland, financing with the Raiffeisenlandesbank NÖ-Wien based on the new framework conditions of the Renewable Energy Expansion Act (EAG), as well as a successful construction phase with the German general contractor GOLDBECK Solar and its entry into the Austrian market.
New territory was broken with the conclusion of a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) between ImWind and the graphite electrode manufacturer Resonac Graphite Austria, which secured the electricity production of the new solar park for its Upper Austrian production site in Bad Goisern. “For Resonac, the conclusion of this long-term supply agreement is an important step in our sustainability strategy to offer our steel industry customers a product that meets their decarbonization and competitiveness efforts
“, assures Managing Director of Resonac Graphite Austria GmbH, Eugen Hofer.
„We have been financing the regional expansion of renewable energies in Austria for more than 20 years. That’s why we’re particularly pleased to be supporting our partner ImWind in another major project to produce green electricity
“, emphasizes Deputy General Director Reinhard Karl, Board Member for Commercial Customers at Raiffeisenlandesbank NÖ-Wien.
„The interaction of all these stakeholders has made a significant contribution to the fact that we can now celebrate the commissioning and make it clear which value chains renewable energy projects can generate
“, says Christoph Zurucker-Burda, CFO of ImWind, delighted.
„The Nickelsdorf solar park is a real lighthouse project that shows the synergies of solar and wind power. By using such hybrid solutions, we can not only secure our domestic energy supply more quickly, but also expand the necessary renewable electricity generation without additional grid expansion and effectively contribute to achieving Austria’s climate goals. Politicians are now required to prioritize these innovative solutions and create clear framework conditions
“, concludes Georg Waldner, CEO of ImWind.
Questions & Contact:
ImWind
Johannes Pechhacker, MSc (WU)
Head of Office & Communications
Email: yes@imwind.at