RWE Expands Hambach Renewable Hub with New Solar Park and Battery Storage

RWE has started developing the “Manheimer Bucht” solar park and an 80 MWh battery storage facility in collaboration with NEULAND HAMBACH GmbH at the Hambach opencast mine in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. 

RWE has commenced work on a utility-scale solar power project in Germany’s Rhein-Erft region. Named the “Manheimer Bucht” solar park, the facility is being developed inside the Hambach opencast mining area near Kolpingstadt Kerpen. The project includes the installation of approximately 25,300 photovoltaic panels across a site comparable in size to 20 football fields. Construction activities, including parts of the mounting structure and several solar modules, are already underway. Scheduled for completion by the end of the year, the solar park will deliver 16.5 MWp (14.8 MWac) of capacity, generating enough renewable electricity to meet the annual needs of roughly 5,000 households.

The “Manheimer Bucht” project will eventually become part of the southern shoreline of the future Hambach lake, which is planned to emerge from the former opencast mining area. Since it will take many years for the lake water to extend to this section, RWE is utilizing the interim period to develop renewable energy infrastructure on approved land within the site. In addition to the solar installation, the project will include a co-located battery energy storage system. Construction of the storage facility is expected to start during the summer, with the system designed to provide 80 MWh of storage capacity. The battery unit is targeted for commissioning by the end of 2026 and is intended to support electricity grid stability.