Witznitz Solar Farm

History

2024: Farm Launch

On April 9, 2024, the German investment company Hansainvest Real Assets announced the launch of Europe's largest solar farm. The site called Witznitz Solar Farm is located 30 km from Leipzig, and its peak capacity reaches 605 MW.

The project, the cost of which is estimated at billions of euros, is not funded by the state. The farm is located in the former Witznitz II brown-coal mine with an area of ​ ​ more than 500 hectares. About 150 hectares of adjacent land are additionally involved. The deployment of the power plant is accompanied by the revitalization of previously little-used areas. To attract tourists, bicycle paths have been laid around the solar farm and recreation areas have been created. Hedges are planted along the fences.

𝓲

Hansainvest

MoveOn Energy, a solar farm developer, is expected to commission an additional 45 MW of capacity by the summer of 2024. Thus, the total capacity will reach 650 MW. After the completion of construction, more than 1.1 million solar panels will be combined as part of the site.

It is planned that the Witznitz Solar Farm complex will be able to produce enough clean electricity to provide power to about 200 thousand average households. At the same time, carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere will be reduced by 250 thousand tons per year.

It is noted that within the framework of the project, an agrovoltaic technology (also known as agrophotovoltaic) is being tested on an area of ​ ​ more than 5 hectares. Its essence lies in the use of one piece of land for two purposes: for the generation of solar energy and the production of agricultural products. In other words, crops are grown in the same territory in which the rows of solar panels are located.^[1]

Notes