Right on the border between the municipality of Westerveld and the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, there is a plan for a floating solar park. But the connection to the network is difficult. There is an alternative, but it comes with a hefty price tag.
“Then the connection to the grid has to be 14 kilometers away,” says Godfried Westen, initiator and involved in Energiecoöperatie Duurzame Smildes. “That costs a lot with cabling, so much that it is no longer profitable. A closer connection is more attractive.”
The location of the upcoming floating solar park is in the Achterste Plas, just behind the Blauwe Meer in Hoogersmilde. The lake is now used for sand extraction by the Calduran company and that work can continue with the arrival of a floating solar park. According to Westen, the location is therefore perfect. “It is biologically dead, so you don’t harm nature with it. Birds are almost non-existent because there is no life in the water due to the sand extraction and you do have surface area.”
Manager Robèrt Mik at Calduran also believes that the location offers opportunities. “The idea is: we think sun on land is a shame. This way we can still do our bit,” he says.
The plan has been incubating for almost ten years, says Mik. “The idea arose about ten to eight years ago. Then we were approached. First we had to look for a good supplier,” he says. “Residents are now aware and the permit application is underway.”
According to Mik, the participation of residents is important in the project. West agrees. According to him, the environment should be able to benefit from it. Whether in the purchase of electricity or in financial terms. “We don’t want the proceeds to flow away to foreign investors. We want these kinds of projects to also yield something for the municipalities.”
Exactly how the interpretation will be has not yet been determined, says Westen. “With a solar park that is locally owned, you ask a lot from your volunteers. We are not entrepreneurs. So we are now looking at the option of a sustainability fund or a one-off amount, a kind of lump sum payment.” The size of the park will probably be 15 hectares. “But that could also change.”