A new ground-mounted photovoltaic plant with a capacity of almost one megawatt is being built on the site of the former coal storage area at the Cuno power station in Herdecke. KOSTAL is supporting this regional project with high-performance inverter technology.

Where coal was once stored for power generation, a solar power plant is now being built: Mark-E is constructing a ground-mounted plant on the site of the former Cuno power station in Herdecke, comprising a total of 1,950 PV modules, which will generate a total output of around 900 kWp.

Following the planned commissioning at the end of 2026, the plant is expected to generate around one million kilowatt-hours of solar power annually. The electricity generated will be fed via a direct connection to the Dörken Group’s headquarters, just a few hundred metres away, where it will be used.
 

KOSTAL inverters for almost one megawatt of photovoltaic power

KOSTAL is supporting the project as a technical partner and is supplying nine high-performance PIKO CI 100 inverters. These convert the direct current generated by the PV modules into alternating current, thereby forming a central component of the photovoltaic system.

PIKO CI 100 for high-performance PV projects 

The KOSTAL PIKO CI 100 is specifically designed for larger photovoltaic systems in the commercial and project sectors. With an output of 100 kW, high DC flexibility and integrated functions for planning, commissioning and system operation, it is suitable for high-output PV systems and a variety of system configurations. Thanks to its decentralised system architecture, even larger systems can be set up flexibly and individual system segments can be specifically configured – as is the case with the current project in Herdecke.

The project combines several aspects of the energy transition: a site formerly used for coal-fired power generation is being given a new purpose, renewable energy is being generated directly on-site, and an industrial company in the immediate vicinity is utilising the solar power via a direct connection.

“A lot comes together here: solar power is being generated on a former coal storage site and is used directly by Dörken just a few hundred metres away. We are delighted to be able to make an important technical contribution to this special project in our region with our inverter technology,” says George Hanna, Product Manager at KOSTAL.

Together with Mark-E and Dörken, KOSTAL is thus demonstrating how photovoltaics, industrial power supply and regional cooperation can come together in a very concrete way.