Published on: June 9, 2025 / update from: June 9, 2025 - Author: Konrad Wolfenstein
Italian investor plans 33 hectares of solar park in Staufenberg: Energy transition in the district of Göttingen is picking up speed - Image: Xpert.digital
Mega -photovoltaic system between Landwehrhagen and Benterode planned - building committee gives the green light
Staufenberg becomes a solar location - open space photovoltaic system with 33 hectares of area comes
A new chapter of renewable energy development in the district of Göttingen is imminent: An Italian investor plans to build a 33 hectare open space photovoltaic system between Landwehrhagen and Benterode in the municipality of Staufenberg along the A7 motorway. The municipality's building committee has already unanimously made its recommendation for the drawing up of a development plan and a corresponding change in the land use plan. This project is part of a series of solar projects that shape both the region and the German-Italian energy cooperations.
Suitable for:
The planned solar project in Staufenberg
Project details and location selection
The planned solar project in Staufenberg comprises an area of around 33 hectares and is to be built between the districts of Landwehrhagen and Benterode. The strategic location along the A7 motorway offers several advantages: on the one hand, the area is already shaped by infrastructure and therefore less conflict -prone than untouched landscape rooms, on the other hand, the proximity to traffic routes enables efficient connection during the construction phase.
The municipality of Staufenberg is open to the project. In Staufenberg, 302 photovoltaic systems with an installed total output of 3,444.30 kWp are already in operation. These generate around 3,000,233.87 kWh of electricity and thus cover 17.93 percent of the electricity consumption of all residents. The new major project would significantly expand these capacities and make the municipality an important regional center of solar energy generation.
Planning procedure and legal foundations
The unanimous decision of the building committee for drawing up the development plan and changing the land use plan shows the local support for the project. However, further approval steps must be passed for the implementation. The municipality has already gained experience with solar systems, as the current tender for a PV system for the Landwehrhagen base fire brigade shows.
Regional solar development in the district of Göttingen
Comparable projects in the region
The Staufenberg project fits into a dynamic development of solar energy in the district of Göttingen. A particularly impressive example is the solar park in Deiderode, which was realized by the Göttingen municipal utilities. This system on 28 hectares with 45,804 solar modules by Trina Solar produces over 32 million kilowatt hours annually and supplies around 9,000 three-person households. With a total output of 31.56 megawatts, the system achieves a specific annual profit of around 1,020 kilowatt hours per kilowatt of installed performance.
Another important project is created by Dr. Metje Green Energy Projects. The solar park near deiderode was realized with an investment volume of around 16.5 million euros over a period of 3.5 years. The system with an area of 40 soccer fields produces 31.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year and can supply around 9,000 households with renewable electricity. Compared to conventional electricity, the new system saves 12,000 tons of CO2 annually.
Citizen participation and municipal cooperation
Particularly noteworthy is the example of the “Buchenberg” solar park in Staufenberg, district of Dau, which acts as a model for municipal cooperation and citizen participation. This project was developed as a community initiative of the city of Staufenberg, five neighboring communities, the Stadtwerke Gießen and the Sonnenland eG citizenship. The participation relationships are 50 percent for the municipalities, 30 percent for Sonnenland eG (citizen participation) and 20 percent for the Stadtwerke Gießen.
The “Buchenberg” solar park with a nominal output of 2.248 megawatts and an investment of 3.7 million euros generates around 2.07 gigawatt hours annually and supplies over 500 households. The project avoids around 34.6 million kilograms of CO2 emissions annually and has a minimum operating time of 20 years. This model shows how regional actors can work together successfully in order to achieve both economic and ecological goals.
German-Italian solar cooperations
Italian investments in Germany
The engagement of the Italian investor in Staufenberg reflects a broader trend of German-Italian cooperation in the solar sector. Italy has established itself as an important market for renewable energies and German companies are increasingly investing in Italian solar projects. At the same time, Italian investors show growing interest in German projects.
A remarkable example of German activities in Italy is the solar park in Pieve Emanuele, which Novelis Inc. developed as the first factory -owned solar park. With an investment of $ 2.4 million and an annual production of around 4,000 MWh, the park covers about 12 percent of the plant's electricity requirements and reduces CO2 emissions by 1,450 tons annually. This type of industrial self -supply through solar energy shows the potential for further cooperation between German and Italian companies.
German companies in the Italian market
Several German companies have successfully invested in Italian solar projects. Baywa Re realized the Solarpark Tarquinia in the Latium region with an installed output of 51.4 MWP. The North/LB Norddeutsche Landesbank financed this project with a volume of 55.8 million euros. After completion, the solar park supplies around 35,000 households with a solar power.
RWE started building her first solar park in Italy in 2024 with the open-air photovoltaic system Bosco in Sicily. With an installed power of 8.3 megawatts and around 15,000 bifacial modules on 16 hectares, the system generates sufficient green electricity for around 7,000 Italian households. The exceptionally short development period of only 18 months until the start of construction is remarkable, enables a new, accelerated approval process in Italy.
Market development and regulation in Italy
However, the Italian solar market also experiences regulatory challenges. In May 2024, the Italian government issued a decree that prohibits the establishment of large photovoltaic systems on productive agricultural areas. Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida justified this measure with the aim of preventing the “desolation” of Italian agricultural areas. Agri-photovoltaic systems that enable simultaneous agricultural use are excluded from this ban.
Despite these restrictions, alternative areas remain available for solar systems, including quarries, mines, licensed areas of the state railway, airport site and industrial areas. This creates new opportunities for innovative project developments and strengthens the focus on area efficiency.
Technological innovations and environmental impacts
Modern solar technologies
The new solar projects in the Göttingen region and in Italy rely on modern technologies to maximize the energy yield. The use of bifacial modules, such as the RWE project Bosco in Italy or at the CCE project in Ardea, enables the use of solar energy from both sides of the modules and thus significantly increases the system performance.
An innovative approach is vertical photovoltaic technology, as implemented in the Löffingen Agri Solar Park in the Black Forest. This technology enables a double use of the areas for energy generation and agriculture and could also be relevant for the Staufenberg project should be sought similar.
Environmental impacts and biodiversity
Modern solar parks are increasingly being planned, taking ecological aspects into account. The example of the Witznitz energy park, the largest solar park in Germany with 1.1 million modules on over 500 hectares, shows how large projects can be designed in an environmentally friendly manner. The up -to -date modules remain space for plants and animals, and specially developed measures support biodiversity.
The solar park near Göttingen also uses upset modules with about one meter of space underneath, where plants and animals can settle. Sheep grazing is also possible, and precipitation can seep away as before. These approaches show that solar parks can even contribute to the promotion of local ecosystems when planning.
Suitable for:
Economic importance and energy transition
Contribution to regional added value
Solar parks such as the planned project in Staufenberg contribute significantly to regional added value. They create jobs during the construction phase, generate long -term lease for property owners and increase local tax revenue. The example of the “Sonnenberg Issigau” solar park in Upper Franconia shows the potential: with an investment of 70 million euros and an output of 80 megawatts, the facility supplies around 20,000 households.
The participation of Italian investors in German projects also strengthens European integration in the energy sector and contributes to knowledge and technology transfer. This is particularly valuable because Italy has excellent conditions for solar energy and German companies can benefit from these experiences.
Integration into the energy infrastructure
The planned project in Staufenberg is integrated into the existing power grid and contributes to decentralized energy supply. The Göttingen region has already proven that it can efficiently integrate large amounts of solar power into the network. The Stadtwerke Göttingen showed with the solar park in Deiderode how local suppliers benefit from local solar energy and can market them to their customers.
The strategic location along the A7 also offers potential for future synergies with electromobility. Fast charging stations along motorways could be supplied directly with local solar power, which would support the decarbonization of the traffic sector.
Outlook and future prospects
Regional development opportunities
The Italian investment project in Staufenberg could be a catalyst for further international cooperation in the region. The successful implementation would increase the attractiveness of the location for other investors in renewable energies and could contribute to the development of a regional cluster for solar technology.
The experiences from comparable projects show that well -planned solar parks can find broad social acceptance. The model of citizen participation, as is practiced at the “Buchenberg” solar park, could also be relevant for the new project and promote local acceptance.
Technological advancements
Future developments could include the integration of battery stores, as are already planned in the “Sonnenberg Issigau”. A 24,000-kilowatt hour battery memory enables the power supply even on sun-low days and at night, which significantly increases system efficiency.
The combination of various renewable energy technologies on an area that is planned in the project at Ramelsloh with the connection of solar and wind energy could also open up interesting opportunities for the Staufenberg project.
Suitable for:
Novel photovoltaic solution for reducing costs and saving time
Novel photovoltaic solution for reducing costs and saving time: Xpert.digital
More about it here:
Your partner for business development in the field of photovoltaics and construction
From industrial roof PV to solar parks to larger solar parking spaces
☑️ Our business language is English or German
☑️ NEW: Correspondence in your national language!
Konrad Wolfenstein
I would be happy to serve you and my team as a personal advisor.
You can contact me by filling out the contact form or simply call me on +49 89 89 674 804 (Munich) . My email address is: wolfenstein ∂ xpert.digital
I'm looking forward to our joint project.
