All the foundations are now laid, the support structure fully constructed and the modules and central inverter installed. SunEnergy Europe is the general contractor for construction of the solar park.
The park is equipped with just under 1,400 modules, which are capable of generating over 1.2 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year. This corresponds to the electricity needs of approximately 800 people, and will allow the park to save 600,000 kilograms of CO2 per year. By connecting the plant to the grid this year, a feed-in tariff of 28.43 euro cents per kilowatt hour will be guaranteed for the next twenty years.
As in many previous projects, the high-quality polycrystalline modules were supplied by Hyundai. The central inverter and the support structure came from the companies SMA and Schletter. Similarly to the construction of other SunEnergy Europe solar parks, maximizing the amount of value creation in the region was also a high-priority concern.
Local acceptance of this major seven-figure investment was an essential prerequisite for the decision to invest. At the same time, projects such as this clearly demonstrate the manifold advantages of photovoltaics for sustainable regional development.
SunEnergy Europe GmbH is convinced that this fact deserves significant attention in the current political debate regarding the speed of photovoltaic capacity expansion in Germany. Energy from the sun, which is in plentiful supply nationwide, must be used to cover requirements on a much larger scale than is currently the case. Local use of photovoltaics is essential to reducing both the dependence on finite raw materials and carbon dioxide emissions which damage the climate.
Not only the highly qualified electricians who worked on the project came from the
region. As far as was possible, priority was given to companies that were local or based in the region when allocating work contracts. This also applied to gardening work, surveying, fence and road construction, container services, security guards and construction material supply.
Evidently it is only right that the community should also reap long-term benefits from the choice of site. For this reason the operating company headquarters will be established on site, in order to guarantee that business tax is paid in the local area. Cooperation with the regional authorities was target-oriented and extremely constructive.
Joachim Radler, the SunEnergy Europe site manager, reports that the project has progressed very positively: We have received extraordinary support in Löbnitz. The local Mayor, Lothar Seib, even allowed the operating company to use the councils official address, to enable it to settle there as quickly as possible. Construction of the solar park was observed with interest in many neighboring communities, so there is a good chance of future projects taking place in the region.
