The lake Jet, in the Starnberg district of Bavaria, is no longer just an abandoned gravel pit. For a few weeks now, it's been home to something never seen before: rows of solar panels standing upright, like fences, floating on the water. Not tilted southward as is traditional photovoltaic technology, but vertical, oriented east-west. A system that captures the sun as it rises and sets, distributing energy production from dawn to dusk. It's the world's first vertical floating solar plant, signed SINN Power, and It has already cut the site's network consumption by 60%. This result could reach 70% once fully operational. Not bad for something that takes up less than 5% of the lake's surface.
How the Skipp-Float System Works
The 1,87 megawatt plant installed in Jais is based on a patented system called Skipp-FloatThese are bifacial solar panels mounted vertically, facing east-west, separated by open water corridors at least four meters wide. These spaces allow light to reflect and air to circulate, maintaining a better thermal balance than traditional systems. Each module is anchored approximately 1,6 meters below the water surface by a keel structure, which allows the panels to oscillate with the wind and adapt to changes in lake level without mechanical stress.
Estimated annual production is around two gigawatt hours, enough to power hundreds of homes. But the real innovation lies in the distributed generation profileTraditional photovoltaic systems concentrate production during the middle of the day, when energy is often cheaper and the grid is already saturated. Vertical solar shifts peaks to the morning and evening, when demand is high and electricity is at its highest. demonstrated by a study by the European Joint Research Centre, this configuration helps stabilize energy prices and reduces the need for expensive storage.
“This project is innovative and relatively easy to implement, as it requires no land and is perfectly suited to our production facility, which operates during the day, especially in the sunniest months from March to December.”
Gottfried Jais, director of the Jais quarry where the plant was built
Why vertical solar works better
The physics behind the success of vertical photovoltaics has been studied in depth byNetherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO). Researchers have found that vertical panels have heat transfer coefficients almost double those of horizontal onesIn practice, they cool better, maintaining lower operating temperatures and improving conversion efficiency. This advantage is particularly significant in the summer, when traditional systems lose efficiency due to overheating.
Un research group at the University of Leipzig modeled a scenario for Germany in which most new photovoltaic capacity would be installed vertically with an east-west orientation. The result: the need for energy storage decreases dramatically, and in a scenario without additional storage, over 10 megatonnes of CO₂ could be saved per year“Vertical photovoltaic systems allow for less storage capacity or less use of gas-fired power plants,” the researchers explain in the study published in Smart Energy.
Zero environmental impact, actually positive
One of the recurring concerns about floating installations concerns the aquatic ecosystem. The Starnberg project demonstrates that, with appropriate design, not only there are no negative impacts, but ecological benefits can be achieved. The plant occupies 4,65% of the surface of Lake Jais, well below the German legal limit of 15% established by Federal Water Resources ActThe four-meter open water corridors ensure the passage of light, air circulation and the mobility of aquatic fauna.
The first environmental monitoring has highlighted improved water quality and the creation of new habitats for fish and waterfowl around the floating structures. Partial shade reduces excessive algal growth, maintaining optimal oxygenation. Connection to the network is via a floating cable and a shore power point, without disturbing the seabed. SINN Power has already planned a second phase of 1,7 MW, which will bring total coverage below 10% of the surface area, while maintaining large ecological safety margins.
Il CEO of SINN Power, Philip Sinn, stressed that the system is suitable for all artificial bodies of water deeper than 1,6 metres It targets industrial and high-consumption users seeking stable, grid-compatible energy. The technology is already ready for offshore use and meets the technical requirements for marine operations, opening up even broader prospects.
The European context of floating photovoltaics
The Bavarian plant fits into a European panorama of floating photovoltaic growing rapidly. BayWa re, one of the industry leaders, has already built over 25 MW of floating plants in the Netherlands and is developing projects in Germany, France, Italy, and Spain for a total of another 100 MW. Slovenia has announced a 140 MW plant on Lake Druzmirje, which will become the largest in Europe, surpassing the current French record of 74,3 MW.
Il technical potential is enormous. A study of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory An American researcher has calculated that hydroelectric reservoirs worldwide could accommodate floating photovoltaic systems capable of generating up to 10.600 terawatt-hours per year. This represents nearly half of current global electricity demand. In Europe, by exploiting just 1% of the surface area of artificial reservoirs, 20 GW of new capacity could be installed without using a single square meter of land.
Il Fraunhofer institutes A German researcher has estimated that using the lakes of former lignite mines in Germany alone, 15 GW of floating power plants could be built. This represents a concrete opportunity to transform the industrial scars of the past into resources for the energy transition.
Vertical solar, what are we waiting for?
The inauguration of the plant saw the presence of Markus Söder, Minister-President of Bavaria, Egon WestphalCEO Bayernwerk, and Stefan Frey, Starnberg District Administrator. This event underscores the strategic importance of the project for the region. Bavaria aims to generate 80% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030, and systems like this represent a key piece of the puzzle.
"We're interested in exploring the topic of energy storage and conversion," said Jais. "We're eager to see if there will soon be viable and economical solutions in this field as well." The idea is to combine floating photovoltaics with storage or power-to-energy conversion systems, maximizing the site's self-consumption and energy independence.
What's happening in Bavaria is a bit like when someone decided to plant vines on the hills instead of the plains. At first it seemed strange, then it became obvious. Floating vertical panels could follow the same trajectory: from technical curiosity to industrial standard. As is already happening in Portugal, where the Alqueva solar park combines floating photovoltaics and pumped hydroelectricity to create a perfectly balanced hybrid system.
How many other Bavarian, Italian, and French lakes are waiting to become power plants?
