Renewables integration | The hybrid power plant Demonstrating the benefits of an integrated approach to solar, wind and storage


Hybrid parks combine renewable generation facilities such as wind and solar, but can of course also be combined with battery storage. In the Netherlands, Vattenfall already has in operation the Haringvliet energy park — a full hybrid power plant combining wind, solar and battery storage, a first of a kind for the Swedish company, which it said would “serve as a blueprint for future projects.”


Construction underway at the Hommerdingen-Biesdorf hybrid park, Germany. Photo: Vattenfall.


Construction is now underway on the Hommerdingen-Biesdorf hybrid power plant. Somewhat surprisingly this is Vattenfall’s first combination of wind and PV in Germany. Vattenfall believes it “sets standards for modern, cost- efficient, and grid-friendly power generation.” The Hommerdingen-Biesdorf hybrid facility consists of four wind turbines manufactured by Enercon, with a total rated output of 17 MW, and some 12000 solar modules with a rated output of 7.6 MWp. The hybrid power plant is being built across the municipal areas of Hommerdingen (wind park) and Biesdorf (solar), both part of the Südeifel municipality near the Luxembourg border. According to current plans, commissioning of the plant is scheduled for autumn 2026.


With the Hommerdingen-Biesdorf project, Vattenfall is pursuing the approach of not connecting the solar park separately but linking


it to the distribution grid through the wind park of the local grid operator Westnetz. Technically, the solar park is thus treated as an additional wind turbine, requiring only one grid connection for the entire installation — an approach to which Westnetz agreed.


“We are pleased to implement the combination of wind and solar together with our local grid partner Westnetz,” says Philipp Heucke, head of onshore wind development at Vattenfall in Germany. “The complementary generation profiles of wind and solar relieve the distribution grid compared to individual generation technologies. This leads to more efficient use of the grid infrastructure and reduces the risk of grid overload. In addition, the costs for the grid connection decrease significantly compared to stand alone plants. This lowers the cost of renewable electricity and ultimately benefits customers.”


Located 20 km south of Rotterdam, Haringvliet consists of six wind turbines, 115 000 solar panels and 12 sea containers full of batteries, able to produce approximately 140 GWh of electricity annually. The wind turbines, solar PV and batteries jointly share the same grid connection. “Wind and solar power complement each other well during different seasons and can share the same grid connection, leading to less connections needed to be reserved in the grid,” says Vattenfall. “The battery ensures that the net remains in balance. Also, the sharing of substation, cables, grid connection and the maintenance of roads saves time, money and reduces environment impact.”


SUNOTEC and Statkraft in Germany


Another example of a hybrid power plant in Germany is the Zerbst project, developed by Statkraft and implemented by SUNOTEC, which is on target to become Germany’s largest solar– battery hybrid power plant under the country’s Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG). For SUNOTEC, headquartered in Sofia, this project marks a significant achievement being the company’s first hybrid power plant in Germany and a proof of concept for what it calls its “fully integrated, beyond-EPC delivery model.” Located on a 41 hectare former gravel pit, the site combines 73 000 solar modules with an installed capacity of 46.4 MWp and a 57 MWh battery energy storage system, which will help stabilise the grid and improve system flexibility. The facility is said to be “designed and built to operate as a fully co-located hybrid asset, providing grid-supportive, dispatchable renewable power.”


Above and right: Haringvliet hybrid energy park in the Netherlands. Photo: Vattenfall. 28 | April 2026 | www.modernpowersystems.com


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