Waste Heap to be Converted into Renewable Energy Plant in Germany

RWE Innogy, and RAG Montan Immobilien announced that they have planned to convert a waste heap into a plant to produce power, by combining wind energy and pumped storage. Both the companies have entered into a letter of intent, under which they will focus on the technical and economic feasibility of combining water and wind as energy supply.

The companies will start the detailed planning for the project in 2011, if the feasibility study results are positive. The wind farms with the pumped storage are likely to be constructed at the Sundern waste heap in Germany.

The plant will use wind energy to pump water from a low reservoir to a reservoir located at top, in the waste heap. During times when the power demand is high, the pumped water is sent back to the lower reservoir with the help of a turbine that generates electricity. The plant will generate about 15 – 20 MW of electricity.