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XXL solar park: The boom of large PV Freeland systems in Germany: developments, trends and perspectives

Published on: March 21, 2025 / update from: March 26, 2025 - Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

XXL solar parks: The boom of large PV Freeland systems in Germany: developments, trends and perspectives-Image: Xpert.digital

Future of the open space PV: expansion goals by 2040

How Germany's photovoltaics are booming: facts and forecasts

Solar energy in Germany is currently experiencing unprecedented expansion, especially in the area of open space photovoltaic systems. The growing size and number of solar parks is a clear sign of the transformation of the energy supply. By the end of 2024, around 99 GW photovoltaics were installed in Germany, with around a third of which no open space facilities. At the turn of the year 2024/2025, the total output of all solar power plants installed in Germany exceeded the 100 GW brand for the first time. In the course of 2024, about one million new photovoltaic systems with a total output of around 16-17 GW were put into operation, which corresponds to an increase of around 10% compared to the previous year. From 2025, 9.9 GW is to be added to new open space systems annually in order to reach the EEG target of 200 GW open space PV to 2040.

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The trend towards XXL solar parks

Current major projects in Germany

Several major projects have been realized in Germany in recent years. The Weesow-Willmersdorf solar park in Brandenburg is considered Germany's largest solar power plant with an output of 187 MW and an area of 164 hectares. With more than 465,000 solar modules, the system can supply up to 50,000 households with environmentally friendly electricity and saves 129,000 tons of CO₂ annually. It is noteworthy that the solar park was implemented without funding by the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), which underlines the economic load capacity of modern solar parks.

As part of the energy transition, new record projects are constantly being created. The groundbreaking ceremony for the largest photovoltaic power plant in Germany so far was set around 30 kilometers south of Leipzig. A solar park with a total output of 650 megawatts is being built on around 500 hectares of contextual areas in the former lignite mine “Witznitz II” and 150 hectares of further compensation areas. The project is to be installed by 1.1 million solar modules to the largest photovoltaic power plant not only in Germany, but possibly all of Europe.

Regional developments

The Hybrid Energy Park Sande was recently opened in Lower Saxony, which is considered the largest photovoltaic open-air area in the state. With an output of around 83 megawatts in the first stage of expansion and on an area of around 95 hectares, the system produces an average of around 80,000 megawatt hours of electricity per year and thus supplies more than 26,600 households with CO₂-free energy. The integration into an existing wind farm makes the system a hybrid energy system that combines the advantages of both renewable energy sources.

Other important projects include the Görlsdorf solar park in the municipality of Vierlinden with an output of 87.6 MW, which is created on an area of around 91 hectares and is supplied with around 35,000 households. At Göttingen, a new solar park went online on the site of an former landfill, which produces 31.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity every year on an area of 40 soccer fields and can thus supply around 9,000 households.

AGRI PV: The innovative double use of areas

Concept and implementation

AGRI PV systems represent a particularly innovative development because they combine the agricultural use of areas with the production of solar energy. In Tützpatz, near the Mecklenburg Lake District, one of the largest AGRI PV systems in Europe with an output of around 80 megawatts is being built on an area of 93 hectares (corresponds to 130 football fields). The project is divided into three sections: A section is used for poultry farming with mobile chicken stables, while crops are grown on the other sections.

A special feature of this system is the installation of the modules on trackers, which can be brought into an almost vertical position during the harvest and extension and thus create space for agricultural machines. This system enables efficient double use of the area and helps to minimize potential usage conflicts between energy generation and agriculture.

A large Agri Solar Park, which farmer Henning Kruse has completely financed through a bank loan of ten million euros, is also being built in Butzhausen. Such projects show that individual farmers can also become important actors in the energy transition.

Potentials and challenges

According to studies by the eco-institute, 287 gigawatts of solar energy could be installed on side edge strips, above parking spaces as well as on industrial and commercial areas, which is significantly more than the target size of the EEG of 200 gigawatts open space PV systems by 2040. Agricultural areas with a lower setting would then only have to be used to a very small way.

In addition, almost 5,000 GW would be available if technical potential were exhausted that produce synergies with moor areas, waters or other agricultural areas. AGRI PV systems can at the same time offer reliable protection against hail damage and sunburn via permanent cultures such as grapes or fruit trees, which means that expensive and maintenance-intensive protective devices become superfluous.

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Did you know? Agri-PV has developed from the technology for solar parking spaces with partially transparent solar modules

Technological innovations in modern solar parks

Integration technologies

Modern solar parks are increasingly being equipped with additional technologies that improve their efficiency and network integration. The Görlsdorf solar park is equipped with a battery memory of around 13.4 megawatt hours in order to be able to make the feed -in more flexible. The AGRI PV park in Tützpatz also integrates a battery memory that contributes to feeding the generated solar power more flexible and as required to the electricity network, so that the solar power can also be used at night.

This integration of storage technologies is an essential step to solve a main problem of renewable energies: the fluctuating feed -in. The combination of photovoltaics with energy storage can increase the security of supply and reduce the network load.

Ecological design

In many new solar park projects, the focus is also on ecological design. One example is the planned citizens' solar park in Dedendorf (Lower Saxony), which is designed as a “biodiversity solar park”. Here the distances between the module series are planned generously so that more light can penetrate the floor and plants can better settle. The area is greened with a native mixture and grazed by sheep.

In the Görlsdorf solar park, the construction is also compensated for through a variety of environmental measures and the preservation of the existing habitats for the domestic animal species is ensured. Such measures contribute to promoting biodiversity on the surfaces and improving local ecology.

Economic and social aspects

Financing models and citizen participation

The financing of solar parks has diversified in recent years. While some major projects of energy suppliers such as EnBW or Vattenfall are realized, others rely on innovative participation models. The solar park planned in Dedendorf is jointly developed by an eco -energy supplier and a citizens' energy cooperative, whereby the local citizens can participate: inside. This approach promotes local acceptance and enables democratic participation in the energy transition.

Another financing model is long -term electricity acceptance contracts (Power Purchase Agreements, PPAs), such as those for the Hybrid Energy Park Sande with Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH. Such contracts offer both the plant operator and the pantograph planning security and make the projects regardless of state grants.

Regional value creation and community finances

Solar parks can make a significant contribution to regional added value. In the case of the Görlsdorf solar park, it is emphasized that the photovoltaic system will also generate valuable income for the municipality for decades. Vierlinden's mayor Constantin Schütze explains: "The solar park with its battery storage not only contributes to securing our energy supply. It strengthens the financial strength of our community and creates valuable scope for decades."

These financial advantages for municipalities are an important factor for the local acceptance of solar parks and can help strengthen structurally weak rural regions.

Next generation solar parks: potential and integration

Area potential and expansion options

In Germany, significantly more areas are available for the expansion of open space photovoltaic systems than are required for a completely renewable electricity system, according to current estimates. This opens up great potential for the further expansion of solar energy. The use of already sealed or pre -loaded areas is particularly promising, such as in the case of the solar park near Göttingen, which was built at a former landfill.

The revitalization of former diary areas, such as the “Witznitz” project, also offers great potential. Here, the construction of the photovoltaic power plant leads to a revitalization of the area that has been used so far and also creates new cycle and riding paths for the tourist use of the region.

Integration into the energy system

The increasing size of the solar parks and their technological development, in particular through the integration of battery storage, improve the possibilities for network integration. Some projects, such as the Hybrid Energy Park Sande, are already planning the production of green hydrogen using the generated solar power. Due to the existing network infrastructure, the coupling of renewable systems with electrolysers for the production of green hydrogen is also considered in the “Witznitz” project.

This sector coupling - the connection of electricity production with other energyectors such as heat, traffic or industry - will play an even more important role in the future to increase the efficiency and flexibility of the energy system.

Solar parks of the future: synergies between energy, agriculture and nature conservation

The strong expansion of solar parks in Germany shows the increasing importance of photovoltaics for the energy transition. The development of ever larger projects that set new standards and are economically profitable is particularly noteworthy. The innovative concepts such as AGRI PV and biodiversity solar parks address potential conflicts in the use of land and create new synergies between energy generation, agriculture and nature conservation.

The increasing integration of battery storage and the development of new financing models show that the solar sector is developing technologically and economically. With the planned annual addition of 9.9 GW open space systems from 2025, the importance of solar energy for the German energy system will continue to grow. The successful implementation of these expansion goals will decisively depend on whether it is possible to solve potential land use conflicts and to secure local acceptance through participation models and regional economic advantages.

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