PHOTON International The Photovoltaic Magazine

Inauguration of 1.8 MW system in Germany

On July 9, the Husum, Germany-based investment company BGZ AG opened its first PV power plant. The 1.8 MW system – designed by Shell Solar GmbH – was handed over ready for operations to a BGZ subsidiary, BGZ Beteiligungsgesellschaft Zukunftsenergien AG.

	© BGZ Beteiligungs- gesellschaft Zukunftsenergien AG
A blue carpet: The dimensions of Höslwang's PV Park are best taken in from the air.

The system is located in the municipality of Höslwang, Bavaria, one of Germany's sunniest regions. That's why yield estimates are above average: operators predict an annual yield of 985 to 1,000 kWh per kW of installed module power.

The system uses Shell's SQ150/160 C1 modules and four 400 kW inverters from Siemens. One unique feature is the mounting system: in this case, as with the 5 MW system in Espenhain (see article, p. 11), Shell went for a pure wood construction. The untreated Robinia wood is used in a timber-framed construction. Another peculiarity is the integrated lightning protection system, which eliminates the need for lightning rods and thus the shadowing problems they cause.

Total investment equals €8.1 million ($9.8 million), which is nearly €4.4 ($5.3) per W. Around €2.25 million ($2.7 million) was acquired as shareholder capital; the rest was financed by the green bank Umweltbank in Nuremburg. Since July, the system has been offered by BGZ subsidiary Reconcept GmbH to private investors as a closed fund. The minimum investment is €5,000 ($6,016), with a promised rate of return before taxes of 6.5 percent.

BGZ specializes in planning, financing, and operating projects in the field of renewable energy, though it has primarily been active in wind and biomass. The project in Höslwang symbolizes a long-anticipated step into the world of PV for the BGZ Group.

For more info on the project, go to: www.reconcept.de