Published on: April 10, 2025 / Updated on: April 10, 2025 – Author: Konrad Wolfenstein
Fünfeichen solar park near Eisenhüttenstadt: Investor withdrawal and the uncertain future of the Fünfeichen PV plant – Symbolic image: Xpert.Digital
Is the energy transition failing? Investor withdrawal threatens solar park in Fünfeichen
The future of renewable energies: Solar park in Fünfeichen faces an uncertain future
The future of the planned solar park in Fünfeichen near Eisenhüttenstadt remains uncertain after a major investor withdrew their commitment. This raises questions about the future of renewable energy in the region and highlights the challenges of implementing the energy transition in structurally weak areas. The situation reflects a trend observed in various regions of Germany, where ambitious solar projects are encountering obstacles.
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Solar energy as a beacon of hope for structural change
The use of renewable energies, particularly photovoltaics, is considered a promising way to economically revitalize former open-cast mining regions. A 2018 study commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) underscores the considerable potential of renewable energies for structural change in these areas. The planning, construction, and operation of photovoltaic and wind power plants alone can generate employment equivalent to up to 1,000 full-time equivalents – independent of further potential from manufacturing.
Brandenburg possesses considerable solar resources. The solar potential analysis for the state shows that the region offers excellent conditions for solar power generation. Ground-mounted solar installations, which account for approximately 68% of the installed capacity in Brandenburg, play a particularly important role.
The situation in Eisenhüttenstadt and Fünfeichen
Eisenhüttenstadt, once founded as a socialist model city, has been undergoing economic restructuring for years. The city, formerly dominated by the Eisenhüttenkombinat Ost (East Ironworks Combine), is searching for new opportunities. Fünfeichen, a district of Eisenhüttenstadt, is primarily known for its school and is regularly served by bus line 443, which runs from the Eisenhüttenstadt central bus station.
The regional conditions for solar energy appear generally favorable. With over 1,000 hours of sunshine per year, the region offers excellent prerequisites for photovoltaic systems, as local solar installation providers emphasize. The geographical location and existing infrastructure could create a productive framework for solar projects.
Challenges for solar projects: A broader picture
The current difficulties at the Fünfeichen solar park are exemplary of several systemic problems affecting photovoltaic projects in Germany:
Network capacities and curtailment issues
A key problem for many photovoltaic projects is the limited capacity of the electricity grid. When many PV systems feed electricity into the grid simultaneously, grid operators often have to temporarily curtail individual systems to protect the grid from overload. This practice can result in significant financial losses for system operators. An example from Bavaria shows how a butcher shop with a 200-kilowatt system is completely curtailed on sunny days between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., leading to costs of up to 500 euros per day.
Maximilian Zängl of the grid operator Bayernwerk justifies these measures with the need to ensure grid stability. Despite investments of five billion euros in grid expansion by 2026, the company expects three million interventions in the grid in 2024.
Regulatory changes
Legal changes are creating additional uncertainty. Since February 2025, feed-in tariffs for solar power have decreased to 7.95 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for self-consumption systems up to 10 kilowatts. Furthermore, operators of new photovoltaic systems no longer receive feed-in tariffs when there is a surplus of electricity on the market and negative electricity prices occur on the power exchange.
Acceptance problems and competition for space
The use of agricultural land for solar parks is increasingly encountering resistance. An example from Villingen-Schwenningen shows how attempts to realize a solar park of up to 25 hectares failed due to the farmers' rejection. Neither lucrative lease agreements nor attempts to achieve the goal through land swaps could convince the owners and tenants.
Financing models and citizen participation as an alternative
Despite the challenges, successful projects in other regions demonstrate that alternative financing models can work. In Epfendorf, a 3.4 MWp agrivoltaic solar park was realized through crowd-investing. Investors could participate with a minimum investment of €500 and received a fixed interest rate of 4.5% per annum, or even 6% for residents of Epfendorf.
Similar approaches can be seen in Rottenacker, where a solar park with a nominal output of 6.4 megawatts operates without feed-in tariffs under the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) and instead enters into direct electricity supply contracts with regional companies. Citizen participation is also offered there, specifically targeting residents of the surrounding communities.
Economic importance for structurally weak regions
The economic importance of solar projects for structurally weak regions should not be underestimated. South of Leipzig, for example, a gigantic solar park has been built on a former open-cast lignite mine. The project is financed by Signal Iduna through its subsidiary Hansainvest Real Assets with a mid-three-figure million euro investment. The long-term investment is planned for at least 30 years and promises a stable return in the single-digit percentage range per year.
Such large-scale projects can have a signaling effect and show that renewable energies can represent an economically viable alternative for former industrial sites.
Innovative approaches: Solar power plants on landfills
Disused landfills offer an alternative use option. The Bavarian State Office for the Environment expressly supports the construction of photovoltaic systems on landfills, as this is an environmentally friendly and resource-conserving form of decentralized electricity generation. Advantages include the lack of additional land consumption (land recycling), the fact that other uses are not affected, and the existing infrastructure.
The municipal perspective: Municipalities as actors
Municipalities can play an active role in promoting solar energy. One example is the town of Friedland in Lower Lusatia, which, according to recent reports, plans to produce its own electricity. Such municipal initiatives can provide important impetus for the regional energy transition.
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Impact on the Eisenhüttenstadt region
The potential loss of the solar park project in Fünfeichen means not only the loss of potential tax revenue for Eisenhüttenstadt, but also missed opportunities for jobs and regional economic development. In a city that has been struggling with economic challenges since German reunification – symbolically represented by the long-neglected Hotel “Lunik”, which the city was only recently able to repurchase – new economic impetus would be particularly valuable.
Perspectives and options for action
Despite the current difficulties with the Fünfeichen solar park, there are possibilities to revive the project or find alternative paths:
Strengthening citizen participation
Following the example of successful projects, greater involvement of the local population through citizen energy cooperatives or crowdfunding models could revitalize the project. Experience from Epfendorf and other locations shows that higher returns for local investors can increase acceptance.
Local engagement
The city of Eisenhüttenstadt could – similar to Friedland – take a more active role and act as an investor or project developer itself. This would not only strengthen local control over the project but also ensure that the economic benefits remain in the region.
Examine alternative locations
If the originally planned location in Fünfeichen proves unfeasible, alternative sites such as former industrial brownfields or conversion areas could be considered. In particular, the use of landfills or other contaminated sites could reduce acceptance issues.
Fünfeichen Solar Park: A learning process for the energy transition in crisis regions
The situation of the Fünfeichen solar park near Eisenhüttenstadt illustrates the complex challenges of the energy transition in structurally weak regions. Despite favorable natural conditions and potential economic advantages, regulatory uncertainties, grid bottlenecks, and acceptance problems can prove fatal for projects.
Nevertheless, successful examples from other regions show that with innovative financing models, strong local participation, and creative solutions for land use, solar parks can be realized even under difficult conditions. For Eisenhüttenstadt and the surrounding region, it is hoped that despite the current setback, new ways will be found to harness the potential of solar energy for regional structural change.
The energy transition offers former industrial sites a chance to reposition themselves and create a sustainable economic foundation. The experience gained with the Fünfeichen solar park should therefore be seen as a learning process to make future projects more successful.
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