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100 MW PV project planned for Germany

Parabel AG has announced that it will begin preliminary works on its 100 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic project in Germany’s Brandenburg region at the end of the month.

Parabel has installed a number of photovoltaic parks in Germany.

Parabel AG

The German company has announced that it will build the 100 MW project on parts of the former Jännersdorf military training area. Expected to be completed in 2013, it will consist of "several, spatially separated solar construction sites within an approximately 430-hectare planning area."

Initially, the company announced last February that the first phase of construction would run from last June to August. At the time, a spokesperson for the company told pv magazine that around €90 million would be invested to achieve this. They added that construction was expected to be concluded in 2012, and that 200 workers would be employed on the project.

In today's release, Parabel did not mention the project's delay. Jürgen Will, CEO of Parabel did say, however, "The approval procedure has been a rather protracted process. The requirements for the compensatory and supplementary measures were very high, so we had to readjust the project design."

He added, "With the shape of the clusters that has now been attained, we have not only met all ecological requirements but have also managed to organically integrate the individual solar arrays into the landscape. In addition, the local community and environment will now benefit from newly created public paths, the planting of valuable mixed forest areas instead of the existing monocultures, and the designation of new biotopes."

Project specifics

The statement explained that four of the construction sites near Jännersdorf will be linked together to form the 40 MW Marienfliess solar park. Meanwhile, a further two construction sites, located further east, will form the 60 MW Krempendorf solar park.

Before work can commence, Parabel says that large parts of the area will have to be cleared of munitions, since the site is contaminated with munitions fragments. Furthermore, there are sand lizards that must be resettled.

Parabel has a history of installing photovoltaics in Germany. Last year, for example, it completed a 5.3 MW project in Saxony and, in 2010, it installed four open-field solar parks in Germany and the Czech Republic with a capacity of over 19 MWp.