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lecture hall with a lot of students © Jürgen Huhn​/​TU Dortmund
Energy Transition

Construction of Large Solar Plant in Preparation

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Photovoltaic system on green lawn with clouds in the sky. © Martina Hengesbach​/​TU Dortmund
The ICARUS data center with its own photovoltaic system in the foreground, HVDC test center in the background: Another photovoltaic system is to be built on the meadow in front of the test center in 2025.
As already announced at the turn of the year 2022/23, TU Dortmund University plans to build a large photovoltaic system on a meadow between the B1 and Emil-Figge-Straße, which is expected to cover around 5 percent of its own electricity needs. The building application for this was submitted to the city in June. Preparations for the large project began on site at the end of October.

From 4 November, the area in front of the Research Center for High-Voltage Direct Current Transmission (HVDC) was enclosed with a construction fence to provide storage areas and prepare technical connections. Prior to this, initial work took place to measure the site. Subsequently, soil surveys must be conducted to check the condition of the ground and ensure that, for example, there are no unexploded ordnances.

Next year, a photovoltaic system with around 3,650 solar modules will be built on the 14,000 m² open space. The planned system has a capacity of around 1.60 MWp, making it ten times more powerful than all five existing photovoltaic systems at the university combined. Over the course of the year, TU Dortmund University will be able to cover another twentieth of its electricity needs itself. A battery storage system with a capacity of 500 kWh will be integrated to store excess electricity on particularly sunny days and stabilize the power grid. According to a feasibility study, the costs for the system will amortize in less than six years. A speedy start to construction is therefore in the interests of both the carbon footprint and the university's budget, which is burdened by rising energy costs.

By building this system, TU Dortmund University is contributing to the energy transition: Compared to the German electricity mix, the solar modules can save the environment around 600 tons of CO2 per year. This amount corresponds to the emissions caused by a passenger booking the Frankfurt-New York round trip 200 times. Furthermore, TU Dortmund University plans to build a wood pellet plant (2025) and a wind turbine (2028/29) to increasingly produce energy from renewable sources in the future.

Update: The article has been updated several times regarding the start of construction and the necessary preparations; among other things, the pro-Palestinian protest camp was able to stay until 31 October due to initial delays. Information on the project status is updated on the webpage for the construction projects at TU Dortmund University.

Category Energy Transition

 

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