German companies Goldbeck Solar and the CEE Group have started operations at their Döllen solar park, a 154.7MW solar facility in the German state of Brandenburg.
Goldbeck began construction on the project last June. The solar panels for the project were supplied by Astroenergy, a manufacturer that is part of China’s Chint Electric Company, and Goldbeck completed the construction work alongside German developer Antlike Solar.
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“We take immense pride in the timely completion of the Döllen solar park,” said Joachim Goldbeck, CEO of Goldbeck Solar. “Throughout the construction process, we encountered various unique challenges, including complex ground conditions, adverse weather and disruptions in the supply chain due to geopolitical events. Overcoming these hurdles magnifies the significance of achieving our scheduled milestone.
“This project stands as a shining example of our dedication to forging a future powered by clean and renewable energy sources.”
The project’s ownership and funding model is similarly complex. The CEE Group and fellow German backer Deutsche Anlagen-Leasing collectively funded the project, and CEE signed a ten-year power purchase agreement with French utility company Engie this year to offload power from the new project.
The successful commissioning of solar projects such as these will be an encouraging sign for the European solar power industry as a whole. The EU has asked for member states to submit drafts of new national energy and climate plans to better align the bloc’s response to climate change, and countries such as Italy and the Netherlands are aiming to increase their renewable power generation production.
However, the deadline for the draft proposals was last Friday, and with Germany yet to announce new policies, there are concerns as to what the role of solar will be in the future of the country’s energy mix in the long-term.
“The seamless coordination of all trades among each other was characterised by the high professionalism of all companies involved in this important project,” said Franke Grafe, CEE Group CIO, highlighting the multi-faceted nature of the project. “We particularly appreciate that.”
The news also follows research from the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg and the Federal Association of Energy and Water Management, which found that renewables covered 52% of Germany’s gross domestic energy consumption in the first half of this year, three percentage points higher than the second half of last year. Positive developments such as these will help ease concerns as to the future of solar in Germany’s power mix.