Ranshofen – Austria-wide national PV record

COMPACTFLAT S6,9 MWRanshofen, Austria

The area which Austria's largest rooftop photovoltaic plant has been producing environmentally friendly solar power since September of 2021 is roughly the size of eight soccer fields. With a nominal output of more than 6.9 megawatts, photovoltaic experts at Clean Capital Energy (CCE) in Ranshofen, Upper Austria, have succeeded in setting a nationwide PV record - and they did it with a PV substructure from AEROCOMPACT.

Limitless possibilities

 

CCE has installed around 16,000 solar panels on the roof of aluminum manufacturer AMAG Austria Metall AG. They were mounted using AEROCOMPACT's bracket-based mounting system COMPACTFLAT S10PLUS.

"The dimensions were impressive, of course," says Markus Egger, Head of Technical Inside Sales at AEROCOMPACT. Nevertheless, he says, the project was not a major challenge. "The large-scale project in Ranshofen is an excellent example of how well our software and hardware work together. Therefore, even large rooftop installations are no problem for us," Egger continues. Due to its flexibility, AEROCOMPACT at Ranshofen decided to elevate the modules using the COMPACTFLAT S10PLUS aerodynamic modular system. The bracket-based system was developed by the PV racking expert explicitly for flat roofs. Thanks to the short-side clamping, the mounting solution withstands high snow and wind loads. The system was planned and simulated with the 3D online software AEROTOOL.

 

Electricity for the rolling mill

Clean Capital Energy (CCE) completed the project on schedule after a construction period of approximately five months. "We are very pleased that CCE and AMAG relied on our assembly solutions and expertise for this major project," emphasizes Markus Egger. In addition to the development and construction, CCE also took over the financing of the plant. The solar project developer has invested several million euros on the roofs of AMAG. All the electricity produced is consumed by AMAG's production facilities via a contracting model. CCE and AMAG have executed a 25-year contract for this. Annually, the plant will produce around 6.7 gigawatt hours of electricity. It will be supplemented by additional ground-mounted solar arrays. The capacity of the entire plant would be sufficient to supply around 1,800 households with electricity, but the energy generated will be used in its entirety in the new AMAG rolling mill.

 

Climate-neutral production by 2040

AMAG is the largest Austrian aluminum-producing company and has an annual energy demand of 750 gigawatt hours. The company produces primary aluminum directly from alumina and also produces cast and rolled products. Two-thirds of its electricity needs are still covered by gas today, while one-third of its electricity already comes from renewable sources. The new PV plant is a major milestone for the aluminum manufacturer on its way to climate-neutral production. By 2040, AMAG aims to cover its entire energy requirements with 100 percent renewable energy.