On the former premises of a gas power plant now more than 4,900 modules quietly produce clean energy. The 1.2 MWp installed capacity will cover the annual electricity need of 370 households. Project developer Energieversorgung Gera GmbH called for expression of interest for the 2.1 Million Euro investment.
Among 21 competitors, Hamburg based SunEnergy Europe GmbH won the pitch and acted as general contractor for the project. The money is well invested since few were the options for a future use for the premises. Though the power plant had been entirely dismantled, remains of cement, armouring steel as well as old pipes still remained in the ground and proved a challenge for the substructure foundation. What otherwise would have been an empty and problematic area within the city boundaries now turned into a value creation solution and location for clean energy production.
The proximity of the energy generation to its consumers is one of photovoltaics
advantages. By using e.g. industrial wasteland, landfills and unused commercial
areas in addition to communal roof space, cities and communes can do much to
maximize their solar power generating potential. Over the past years, SunEnergy Europe has added value to numerous areas of that kind by installing PV Power Plants on them, many among them with challenging ground structure.
SunEnergy Europe GmbHs CEO, Hartwig Westphalen, has a vision of his own when it comes to regional and decentral energy production, seeing them as pulse generator for the energy transition ahead of us: As early as seven years ago we successfully demonstrated that it is possible to turn something that costs money into something that brings money to the commune by building a PV Power Park on a former landfill in Lower Saxonian Neu-Wulmstorf. Given, areas like these are not the easiest to develop a project for, but benefits like we have in Gera show that it is well worth the effort.
