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WKW

Hydro power plant in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. Approximate location 47.5985, 8.171.

HydroBaden-WuerttembergGermany

WKW is a 24 MW hydro power plant in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. It is operated by Rheinkraftwerk Albbruck- Dogern AG. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 24k homes (estimated). It ranks #523 of 1,442 Germany power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2009, it is around 17 years old — relatively modern. 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).

24Legacy source-record capacity
24,027homes powered (est.)
2009commissioned (~17 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1006149.

Data status

Known data

FacilityWKW WRI
CountryGermany · Baden-Wuerttemberg WRI
Coordinates47.5985, 8.171 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity24 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerRheinkraftwerk Albbruck- Dogern AG WRI
Commissioned2009 WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#523 of 1442 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#57 of 112 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.00× · 24 MW median · 112 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent24,027 calculated
Climate9.1°C · HDD 3,261 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 26/100 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 24 MW, WKW is around 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 Rheinkraftwerk Albbruck- Dogern AG.

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 47.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.1°Cannual mean temp
3,261heating degree-days (base 18°C)
12cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
441 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: 1 °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)
26/100environmental-severity index
18.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
376 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 #57 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 47.5985, 8.171 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is WKW?

WKW is a 24 MW source-record hydro power plant in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany, commissioned in 2009.

How many homes can WKW power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 24,027 homes (estimated).

Who operates WKW?

WKW is operated by Rheinkraftwerk Albbruck- Dogern AG.

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