Lieberose Solar Farm Becomes Biggest Of Germany
The Lieberose solar farm under construction in Brandenburg on Thursday became the world’s second biggest solar power plant and Germany’s biggest, Wörrstädt, Germany-based juwi Group and First Solar Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) announced.
The announcement followed the placement of the 560,000th solar panel
in the project by German Infrastructure Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee
and Brandenburg Minister President Matthias Platzeck.
The solar farm still under construction in Turnow-Preilack, near
Cottbus, is in several ways a landmark project for the solar industry.
Despite the current economic and financial crisis, the two companies
are building a utility-scale project with a total investment volume of
more than €160 million. With an output of about 53 megawatts and with
a size of more than 210 football fields, it is the second-largest PV
installation in the world.
“The Lieberose project demonstrates the success of Germany’s strategy
of combining local production of renewable energies with other
strengths, including the knowledge and expertise that resides in local
companies, networks, research organizations and universities. It’s the
combination that makes German competitiveness,” German Infrastructure
Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee told 300 invited guests at the official
inauguration.
“Lieberose is a model not just in terms of power and financing, but
also in the conversion of military and other unused land,” said
Platzeck. “Land that was contaminated and off limits for years is
being cleared of munitions and other pollution without any financial
burden on the owner of the land, the state. The Lieberose solar park
is an important step toward making solar electricity a significant
force in the local economy,” he added.
The project is being developed on the largest former military training
site of the Soviet army in Germany. Due to the relatively low
investment and operating costs, it is possible to pay Brandenburg an
attractive lease that finances the restoration of the site, including
the removal of metal and soil contaminated by leftover grenades,
shrapnel and munitions. After the end of the lease period, the solar
farm can be removed, restoring the land to its natural state.
“We aim to enable a global power supply with clean and cost-efficient
solar energy. The Lieberose project alone will help save about 35,000
tons of CO2 per year,” say First Solar Managing Director Stephan
Hansen and juwi Head Matthias Willenbacher. “We are especially proud
of this project, because it is also ‘clean’ in another sense of that
word. It is not only generating clean energy, but also ensures the
removal of dangerous munitions.”
As general contractor, juwi partner juwi Solar GmbH is responsible for
planning, logistics, supervising construction and delivering the
finished solar farm, which is expected to be sold to an investor upon
completion. “Solar farms such as Lieberose are very important for the
future of all of the renewable energies,” said Willenbacher and
Hansen. “By their size and the efficiency with which the solar panels
are produced, they contribute to significantly lower prices and to
accelerating the advent of competitive solar electricity. This clearly
increases the acceptance of solar energy,” they said.
Lieberose is scheduled to be fully operational by the end of this
year. Upon completion, about 700,000 thin film modules, predominantly
from First Solar’s nearby Frankfurt/Oder factory, will produce enough
climate-friendly electricity to cover the equivalent electricity needs
of about 15,000 households. In addition to producing the solar panels,
First Solar helped finance the project.
SOURCE: First Solar
