City Solar plans 80 MW PV park in Germany

This year, Wiesbaden, Germany-based City Solar AG intends to begin construction of a PV power plant that will dwarf all other previous projects. On a 200 hectare former Russian military airport in Brandis, in the eastern German state of Saxony, the company plans to install 80 MW of solar power. In addition to City Solar, Hamburg-based Voltwerk AG, a subsidiary of Conergy Group, will also participate in the project. 

As a former military area, which is bordered by an earthen wall that once protected the Red Army from prying eye, the land has little ecological value. And apparently no one seems worried about the system impinging on the natural scenery. Hans-Jürgen Schlegel from the State Office for Environment and Geology says that the first meeting regarding the environmental impact assessment has taken place. No further obstacles are expected. Investors have been welcomed by the state of Saxony with open arms, says City Solar spokesperson Stefan Theis. Initial talks with the community left all parties satisfied. In addition to the power plant, the company has plans to establish a module production facility, which will create 35 jobs and bring total project investment to €324 million ($429 million).

If City Solar can find enough modules for the Brandis project, it will be more than 10 times larger than the hitherto largest PV system in Göttelborn, Germany, which went on line in 2004 with 7.4 MW of power (see PI 8/2004, p. 10), and even larger than the 62 MW system planned in Portugal (see article, p. 13). The state of Saxony has become a preferred location for ground-mounted PV power plants. By the end of 2005, Saxony will be home to six systems with between 1 and 4 MW, as well as five power plants with powers of 5 MW or more.

Jens Lüdeke
© PHOTON International, April 2005