Solar Energy System of the Month:
Lieberose Solar Power Plant:
an ecological and economic lighthouse project for the protection
of climate and nature
13-10-2009
The photovoltaic power plant on the former exercise terrain
for troops, Lieberose, to the north of Cottbus (Brandenburg)
is the largest solar power plant in Germany since 20 August 2009.
With the joint assembly of the 560 000 solar modules the Federal
Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee, commissioned by the Federal Government
for the new Federal states, as well as the Minister-President
of Brandenburg Matthias Platzeck made this plant to be the largest
photovoltaic park in Germany. In Turnow-Preilack, the juwi Group – project
developers for regenerative power plants – together with
First Solar – manufacturers of advanced thin-layer modules – are
currently realising a photovoltaic power plant with an output
of 53 MW on an area of 162 ha that is to be fully connected to
the grid by the end of this year. Solarserver hereby presents
the second largest photovoltaic plant worldwide and Germany’s
No. 1 as Solar System of the Month October 2009.
Solar Energy System of the Month as PDF
Document
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| Production of solar energy on the scale of power
plants: Lieberose Solar Power Plant in Brandenburg. Source: juwi
Group |
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700 000 Thin-layer modules and 38 inverter stations
The solar power plant between the towns of Lieberose and Turnow-Preilack
in the regional district Spree-Neiße has an annual output
of approximately 53 million kWh of clean power, which corresponds
to about 15 000 households, i.e. to the electricity consumption
of a small town. The surface area on which the modules and
the inverter stations were erected corresponds to the size
of over 210 football fields. Solar power production allows
for around 35 000 t of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2)
being saved. The approximately 700 000 thin-layer modules by
First Solar (FS 272-277 etc) were mostly manufactured in Frankfurt/Oder
and combine to form an overall module area of approximately
500 000 m2. The 38 inverter stations were supplied by SMA Solar
Technologie AG (Niestetal). 37 central inverter stations of
the make "SMA SC 1250 MW" and one station of the
make "SMA SC 900 MV" are used. The sub-construction
was provided by Leichtmetallbau Schletter GmbH from the upper-Bavarian
town of Haag. |
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Lieberose is not only a milestone in the history
of photovoltaics and a model project on the restoration of military
premises encumbered with military weaponry that shines far beyond
the borders of Germany; but this solar park also sets a clear
sign in our current times of financial and economic crises that
even large-scale photovoltaic projects can be financed and that
it is in any event worthwhile investing into renewable energies.
Successful financing in difficult times
For the purposes of realising the project juwi and First Solar
developed and implemented a complex financing concept: the
outside capital that constituted approximately 80 % of the
investment volume came from a consortium of banks made up of
KfW IPEX Bank, Bremer Landesbank, DZ Bank, Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen
(Helaba) and NordLB, that in turn were refinanced by two development
banks. The own capital funds are initially financed by juwi
and First Solar through Mezzanine loans. In total the PV park
that is to be sold to an investor upon its completion constitutes
an investment volume exceeding 160 million euro. The juwi Group
anticipates continued investor interest in completed or construction-ready
energy parks in the solar as well as the wind sector, since
investments in wind and solar parks are very secure and thus
very attractive. “Amidst the biggest financial crisis
since World War II we accomplished financing of the second-largest
solar park worldwide. Thus, we see that large-scale projects
can still be financed,” press speaker Ralf Heidenreich
emphasises. Long-term, trusting and solid business relationships
with investors, banks and the suppliers are an important factor
for ensuring the implementation of future projects, juwi emphasises.
Juwi enjoys an excellent reputation with banks and investors
on the basis of its co-operation that is characterised by reliability. |
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Increased need for co-ordination in financing large-scale
projects
“The drop-out rate of our projects is nil; this, too,
creates trust. We are an owner-run, down-to-earth company – and
not listed with the stock exchange. The high degree of volatility
and nervousness of stock exchanges thus has no impact on us.
We can act on the basis of long-term and sustainable projects
and do not depend on mood changes of the capital markets,” Heidenreich
continues. Zartina Ecker, Cleantech expert of the investment
bank Jefferies, is quoted in the Capital Magazine in a juwi
portrait, “juwi has established itself as a premium brand.
Banks prefer financing projects if they know that they carry
the name of juwi.” However, the larger the plant, the
more challenging its financing becomes. Banks continue to be
willing to finance large-scale projects, as the Lieberose Solar
Park proves. But credit institutions are clearly more cautious
and hesitant, and even more distrustful towards other banks,
so that juwi partially had to assume the co-ordination of financing.
Furthermore, more banks are involved in financing large-scale
projects than was the case in the past; this also leads to
a need in increased communication and co-ordination. “Until
financing had been secured, juwi colleagues of the finance
department worked till late at night for many months,” Heidenreich
reports. |
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Dangerous weaponry makes way for greener electricity production
As far as the protection of the environment is concerned, Lieberose
also sets an example. The solar park not only generates clean energy
but also ensured that dangerous ammunition was removed from the property.
Lieberose is thus a superb example of the successful combination of
climate protection, high-tech and active protection of our environment.
The state of Brandenburg leases this property of about 300 ha to the
operator of plant, thereby ensuring that this area can be used for
the production of solar energy for a period of over 20 years. A once-off
payment and the lease of the land financed the removal of weaponry. |
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| Weaponry that was removed before the erection of the solar
park. Source: juwi Group |
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| After completion of solar utilisation the PV system will be dismantled
and a heathland free from weaponry will be available to realise the goals
of environmental protection and to be sustained in the long-term. The state
of Brandenburg lends its full support to the solar park. “Projects
such as this help us in healing the wounds of the Cold War and also in
reaching our ambitious goals in the field of renewable energies,” Minister-President
Platzeck praises this project. |
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Large-scale photovoltaic parks planned in the USA
“After US President Barack Obama introduced the energy turn,
the market offers immense opportunities for renewable energies. juwi
will utilise these opportunities; we have many projects in the making,” juwi
Chairperson Matthias Willenbacher reports. In summer 2009 juwi Solar
signed electricity purchasing agreements for photovoltaic parks and
secured the project rights: in Ohio a 12 MW plant is to be erected,
in Florida a 15 MW park is envisaged. Overall, juwi plans to connect
wind and solar power plants with a total output of over 1 000 MW to
the grid in the coming years. The USA will thus become one of the most
important markets for juwi. Besides the MW wind parks juwi also has
numerous large-scale photovoltaic projects in the making, the output
of which will exceed 10 MW each.
Also read
Solar Architecture: juwi headquarters
featuring the world’s most energy-efficient office building
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Further Solar Energy Systems of the Month:
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