EnBW has commissioned an 8.8 megawatt-peak (MWp) solar plant in Adelsheim, Baden-Württemberg, paired with a 6.8 MWh battery storage system. The German energy operator positions the installation as a grid flexibility tool, enabling surplus photovoltaic output to be stored and dispatched during periods of low renewable generation. The solar-plus-storage combination reflects a dynamic observed at international scale, as illustrated by the 450 MW solar-storage project being developed by ACME Solar in India.
14,500 modules to theoretically power 3,300 households
The plant deploys 14,500 photovoltaic modules across 12.2 hectares in the Hühneräcker area near Adelsheim. According to EnBW, the facility will generate approximately 9.6 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, theoretically enough to supply more than 3,300 households. The company states the output will avoid 6,600 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually. The building permit was granted in February 2025, construction began in March 2025, and the plant was commissioned in mid-December 2025.
“The storage system allows us to better coordinate electricity production and grid injection,” says Thomas Uhland, project manager at EnBW. The municipality of Adelsheim sees the installation as a lever for energy self-sufficiency. According to Wolfram Bernhardt, the town’s mayor, “the amount of green electricity produced here will cover the city’s annual consumption.” The storage system can also support electricity supply during regional demand peaks.
A site selected for its agronomic constraints
The Hühneräcker site features rocky soil that becomes particularly waterlogged in spring and autumn, making farming difficult. EnBW has incorporated several biodiversity conservation measures: preservation of two century-old oak trees, creation of biotopes with scattered fruit trees, wildflower meadows beneath the panels, and sheep grazing for extensive site maintenance. The use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers will be entirely excluded from the area. This approach combining solar generation with ecological management is emerging in several small-scale European projects, including the 20-year solar agreement signed between GreenYellow and GIVA for 11 MWp, which also incorporates specific environmental requirements.
Vietnamese modules from a Japanese group
For its solar module supply, EnBW selected VSUN Solar, a Vietnamese company and subsidiary of Japanese group Toyo Solar. The polysilicon used is produced in South Korea and processed in Vietnam. The company describes this choice as strategic, citing supply source diversification and a carbon footprint it characterises as optimised, with a focus on circular economy principles. This supply strategy comes amid ongoing tensions over solar supply chains in Europe, particularly those related to European Union restrictions on certain solar equipment of Chinese origin.