German independent power producer (IPP) SUNfarming has partnered with energy services firm SPIE to design and install the substation for a 753MWp agrivoltaics (agriPV) park in Germany.
Said to be Europe’s largest agriPV park by the companies, the Klimapark Steinhöfel spans over 500 hectares of land and eight districts in Brandenburg, eastern Germany.
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SPIE will provide all the services for the project regarding the substation, at which construction is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2025 and be commissioned in the second quarter of 2026. The system comprises four transformers, in order to ensure that the energy generated is reliably fed into the existing high-voltage network, connected to the regional distribution network operator E.DIS via 110-kilovolt cable systems.
The agriPV project will use bifacial glass-glass PV modules with light and rainwater management under the solar panels. The modules will be installed according to DIN SPEC at a minimum height of 2.10 metres.
Once the project is operational, the agricultural land will be used for perennial crop production and to breed cattle, comprising calves and heifers.
Edith Brasche, managing director of project development at SUNfarming, said: “We currently have several gigawatts of agrivoltaics systems in development, not only for use in crop and fruit cultivation but also for raising mother cows and calves, poultry and fallow deer. Klimapark Steinhöfel is part of our research, demonstrating that agrivoltaics systems protect the environment, nature and groundwater against climate change while bringing real added value to rural regions.”
SUNfarming developed the agricultural concept for the753MWp agriPV park in collaboration with an undisclosed agricultural consultancy for local farms along with farmers from the region and brought it to the building permit phase within a four-year development period.
During that period, the IPP secured regulatory approval in the eight districts the project will be located, explained Martin Tauschke, co-founder and managing director of SUNfarming.
The news follows growing interest in the European agriPV sector, with the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) reporting that Europe could meet its net zero targets with “minimal” impact on land availability, through technologies such as agriPV.
Earlier this year, Caroline Plaza, managing partner at the Becquerel Institute, wrote for PV Tech Power about how agriPV could also benefit from innovative business models, which could unlock new opportunities in the sector.
