Inauguration of the Minettenergie solar power plant
With a capacity of 1,070 kWp and 2,675 PV modules, this new plant produces 1,170 MWh of green electricity, the equivalent of the annual electricity consumption of 370 four-person households. The installation is a joint-venture project between Minett-Kompost and SUDenergie. Both organisations share a strong committment to driving the energy transition in Luxembourg.
Since 2019, SUDenergie is investing in the construction and operation of solar power plants of all sizes. These power plants are located both on municipal roofs, predominantly in the municipalities that are shareholders of SUDenergie, and on the roofs of private companies. Minett-Kompost was one of the first players with whom SUDenergie was in touch to evaluate the photovoltaic potential of its buildings and in 2019, SUDenergie installed the first 30 kWp photovoltaic system on the roof of Minett-Kompost's reception hall for the methanation plant.
This first collaboration allowed the partners to get to know each other better. A year later, the municipal syndicate began to plan a new composting facility, which would have a one-sided roof with an area of approximately 10,000 m2. This gave SUDenergie the opportunity to install a second, larger photovoltaic system. At a relatively early stage in the planning process, Minett-Kompost had the idea of integrating a photovoltaic system. For the municipal syndicate, working with a partner on this project quickly proved to be the best solution.
Thus, SUDenergie was already involved in the construction phase, which made it possible to pool competencies and to work hand in hand on the necessary interfaces such as the transformer station or the installation of lightning protection. In order to be able to operate the plant together, the two partners decided to set up a joint-venture in the form of Minettenergie SARL with equal shares, 50% SUDenergie and 50% Minett-Kompost. With this company they took part in tenders from the Ministry of Energy and won 1,070 kWp. Consequently, the energy produced by this system benefits from a bonus, in addition to the market price of the energy fed into the network. In this setup, SUDenergie takes care of the daily administrative and financial work, drawing on its many years of experience in operating PV systems.
The Minettenergie plant went online in December 2023, but the project still has potential for further development. In fact, a third power plant with a capacity of 200 kWp is under construction and will most likely be connected to the grid in 2024. Thanks to the three power plants, the total capacity on the site of the composting centre will be 1,300 kWp.
Minettenergie - Key facts
- Number of installations: 2 + 1 (scheduled for 2024)
- Number of solar modules: 3,283
- Total capacity: 1,300 kWp
- Totaly yearly yield: 1,170 MWh : this equals to the yearly electricity consumption of 370 homes (of 4 pers.) and 762 tons of CO2 can be saved per year
About Minett-Kompost
Minett-Kompost is a syndicate founded in 1993 by 16 Luxembourg municipalities. Its first composting plant with an annual capacity of 20,000 tons was put into operation in 1997. In 2011, Minett-Kompost commissioned a second plant, a methanation plant with an annual processing capacity of 25,000 tons. Following the renovation of its composting facility, Minett-Kompost currently has a total annual processing capacity of 50,000 tons and converts the organic waste of 22 municipalities with 365,000 inhabitants into 11,000 tons of compost, 1.3 million m3 of biomethane and 2,000 tons of wood chips.
Since its foundation, Minett-Kompost has developed into an important player in the circular economy in Luxembourg. The joint venture with SUDenergie and new projects such as the expansion of its methanation plant or the construction of a 3 MW biomass plant with wood chip production underline the syndicate's commitment in the fields of circular economy and its engagement for the energy transition.