Germany unveils the first vertical floating solar power plant

The world’s first vertical floating photovoltaic system has been inaugurated in Germany, marking a major milestone in solar innovation and water-based clean energy deployment.

Vertical floating photovoltaic: the new solar frontier

While ground-mounted vertical solar hedges have already proven their performance, the vertical installation of solar panels on water is still in its early stages. Just a few days ago, the very first vertical floating photovoltaic (VFPV) plant was inaugurated in Germany on a former gravel pit lake. The system, called SKipp Float, is a patented floating, mobile, and flexible technology developed by the German company SINN Power.

Inside the German floating vertical solar plant

The new SINN Power facility stands on the Jais gravel pit in the district of Starnberg, Bavaria. Construction began in November 2024 with a groundbreaking ceremony attended by the Bavarian Minister of State for Economic Affairs, Regional Development, and Energy.

Today, this innovative floating solar plant, equipped with 2,600 vertically mounted bifacial modules, delivers a peak capacity of 1.87 MW, covering just 4.65% of the basin’s surface.

The system uses bifacial solar modules installed vertically in an east–west orientation, separated by open water corridors at least four meters wide. Instead of being anchored to the lakebed, the installation features a keel-based substructure extending up to 1.6 meters deep, which secures the panels to a network of cables and allows controlled movement under wind pressure. This design minimizes mechanical stress and ensures stability amid water level fluctuations.

The benefits of vertical photovoltaic modules

Why use vertical solar panels in such a challenging floating configuration? The reasoning is similar to that behind all vertically mounted photovoltaic systems.

Research and pilot projects have shown that vertical setups offer several distinct advantages over traditional inclined designs.
First, they align more closely with daily energy demand patterns. While total output is generally lower than that of horizontally tilted systems, their higher generation in the morning and late afternoon better matches modern consumption peaks. Moreover, seasonal data show that these systems can significantly increase winter production compared to conventional installations.

Another benefit lies in the compatibility with bifacial technology, which captures sunlight from both sides of the module, boosting efficiency. Recent studies indicate that bifacial vertical PV systems outperform both single-faced vertical and conventionally tilted systems, recording daily output gains between 7–10% and 23–27% during early morning and late afternoon hours.

Perhaps the most immediate advantage is space efficiency. Whether installed on land, rooftops, or water bodies, vertical solar panels allow for higher power density and easier scalability, an important factor as available land becomes scarcer.

How much energy does a vertical floating solar system generate?

At its latitude, the plant is expected to generate about 2 GWh per year, entirely for self-consumption. The local mining company operating on-site is already using the clean electricity to cut its energy bills.

And it appears to be working. According to SINN Power, “technical reliability has already been confirmed in the first weeks of operation: the system responds as expected to wind loads and changes in water level. During this period, the gravel plant was able to reduce its grid electricity consumption by almost 60%.”

The project also focuses on environmental sustainability. Early observations indicate that the installation is creating new aquatic habitats: “nesting waterfowl have been spotted on the cable floats, and fish schools gather near the ballast areas […]. Measurement buoys installed before construction show that water quality has slightly improved since commissioning. This suggests that the system does not harm the ecosystem and may even have a stabilizing local effect.”

Next steps

Currently, the plant covers less than 5% of the basin’s surface, remaining well below the 15% limit set by Germany’s Federal Water Resources Act (WHG). SINN Power has already planned a second expansion phase, which will add another 1.7 MW, still keeping total coverage under 10%.