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Pielweichs

Hydro power plant in Bavaria, Germany. Approximate location 49.7943, 10.1813.

HydroBavariaGermany

Pielweichs is a 13 MW hydro power plant in Bavaria, Germany. It is operated by E.ON Kraftwerke GmbH. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 13k homes (estimated). It ranks #738 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1994, it is around 32 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 3.9% of Germany's electricity; the national grid averages 330 gCO₂/kWh (59.1% low-carbon) (2025).

13Legacy source-record capacity
12,614homes powered (est.)
1994commissioned (~32 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1006002.

Data status

Known data

FacilityPielweichs WRI
CountryGermany · Bavaria WRI
Coordinates49.7943, 10.1813 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity13 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerE.ON Kraftwerke GmbH WRI
Commissioned1994 WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#738 of 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#93 of 112 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.53× · 24 MW median · 112 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent12,614 calculated
Climate9.0°C · HDD 3,266 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 25/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 13 MW, Pielweichs is below the median hydro plant in Germany (24 MW). Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Germany

PSW Vianden: 1,096 MW1kPSW ViandenGoldisthal: 1,060 MW1kGoldisthalMarkersbach: 1,046 MW1kMarkersbachWehr: 910 MW910WehrWaldeck 2: 480 MW480Waldeck 2Säckingen: 360 MW360SäckingenHohenwarte: 320 MW320HohenwarteKopswerk I: 247 MW247Kopswerk I

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by E.ON Kraftwerke GmbH. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 49.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.0°Cannual mean temp
3,266heating degree-days (base 18°C)
5cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
248 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 0 °CJF: 1 °CFM: 5 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 13 °CMJ: 16 °CJJ: 18 °CJA: 18 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 9 °CON: 4 °CND: 2 °CD18 °C

Heating degree-days here run 33% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 70/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
25/100environmental-severity index
18.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
432 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #93 largest hydro power plant of 112 in Germany by capacity.

Germany has 112 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 9,981 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 49.7943, 10.1813 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Pielweichs?

Pielweichs is a 13 MW source-record hydro power plant in Bavaria, Germany, commissioned in 1994.

How many homes can Pielweichs power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 12,614 homes (estimated).

Who operates Pielweichs?

Pielweichs is operated by E.ON Kraftwerke GmbH.

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