At Frankfurt Airport: Next2Sun Starts Construction of The World's Largest Vertical PV system

Dillingen/Frankfurt, Germany - The go-ahead has now been given for the construction of a large-scale vertical PV system with the Next2Sun system at Frankfurt Airport.

The Next2Sun Group is not only the system supplier, but is also responsible for the realisation of the project as the plant builder.

According to Next2Sun, the world's largest vertical PV system to date, with an output of 17.4 MWp, will be erected on a total area of 30.8 hectares on green areas along the western runway. The rows of Next2Sun modules will be installed over a length of 2,800 metres parallel to the runway.

Before the decision was made to build the large-scale system along Runway West, the Next2Sun vertical system was first tested at Frankfurt Airport with an 8.4 kWp demonstration system.

As hardly any surface area is sealed with vertical PV systems, according to Next2Sun, less than 1 per cent of the surface area is actually built over. The ecologically valuable meadow areas are therefore almost completely preserved. "Our green areas are almost unique in terms of their biodiversity - this characteristic is to be preserved without restriction despite installation," emphasises Marcus Keimling, Head of Grid Services at Fraport AG.

"Solar power in the morning and evening hours in combination with a minimal footprint on ecologically sensitive areas - this is the ideal combination for airports on their way to climate neutrality," says Heiko Hildebrandt, CEO of Next2Sun AG, hoping for further follow-up projects.

Next2Sun is the inventor, innovation and technology leader in vertical bifacial photovoltaics. The basic concept of vertically installed, bifacial solar modules shifts solar power production to times of otherwise low availability and avoids the overbuilding of agricultural land.

Next2Sun has developed a wide range of products based on vertical bifacial system technology and the patented frame system developed for it and has brought them to market maturity, in particular the vertical bifacial Agri-PV system and the bifacial solar fence. As the market leader, Next2Sun now offers solutions for a wide range of applications in the agricultural, public, commercial and private sectors.

Source: IWR Online, 09 Feb 2024