Eco- and Agri-Solar

SUNfarming Agri-Solar animal welfare systems.

Peter Schrum from Schleswig-Holstein and Martin Tauschke from Brandenburg founded the solar company SUNfarming in Erkner near Berlin in 2004. With their own system developers, steel constructors and engineers, SUNfarming developed foundation systems, substructures and solar module qualities, which are co-labelled for SUNfarming and, as glass-glass modules, are characterised above all are also characterised by the highest hail and hurricane resistance. In the first few years, the main focus was on roof photovoltaic plants, conversion areas and landfill sites with PV systems were realised in Germany, the agricultural economist Peter Schrum, in view of the damage caused by climate change in Africa and the upcoming waves of refugees travelling to Europe about a food & energy plant in Africa. These are now known as Agri-PV systems. In 2012, SUNfarming built the first plant on the African on the African continent. Since then it has been supporting training in organic farming and provides people with food security and renewable energy. Fruit, vegetables and fruit, vegetables and medicinal herbs.

Since then, SUNfarming has been researching and optimising the use of agri-PV systems with crop cultivation and animal husbandry and is the only provider in the agri PV market has developed a rainwater management system under the system, which prevents soil erosion avoids soil erosion and promotes vegetation by distributing rainwater over a wide area. The first solar package in 2021 made it possible to introduce the Agri-PV concepts, which have now been tried and tested for more than ten years, to the German market. Various types of fruit and vegetables are planted under the modules, protected from the weather; Suckler cows, cattle, sheep, chickens, ducks, geese and fallow deer find shelter from the rain and sun. The SUNfarming flowering meadows for more biodiversity are home to many native insect species.

For farmers and investors, the latest legislation offers opportunities in the field of agri-solar. One Agri-PVA can be installed per farm or farmstead. Privileged according to §35 BauGB, para. 1, no. 9 and DIN SPEC 91434 for animal welfare and organic cultivation of fruit and vegetables. The agricultural use for commercial purposes under the facility must be proven. ‘In addition to the generation of renewable energy and climate protection, we want to use our concept, we want to ensure that the land on which electricity is generated can continue to be used for agricultural purposes,’ explains Peter Schrum. ‘Farmers should keep one hundred per cent of their farmland and not lose it to the large energy producers, who are squeezing them out with high lease payments for ground-mounted systems.’

In addition aspects of nature conservation must be taken into account, areas must not be sealed and broad public acceptance must be achieved. ‘SUNfarming Agri-PVA are designed for a service life of at least 30 years and are fixed horizontally at a minimum height of 2.10 metres. With a south-facing orientation of 15 degrees, we achieve between 1.1 and 1.3 MW per hectare of agricultural land in Germany, depending on the location,’ explains Martin Tauschke, co-founder of SUNfarming. ‘Land under our systems retains its agricultural status and therefore remains an agricultural asset for property tax and inheritance tax purposes unchanged in agricultural assets.’

The largest SUNfarming Agri-PVAs will be will be built from autumn 2024 in the eastern German federal states, where agricultural land is large and land values are often low, and others in western and southern German regions. The SUNfarming management is optimistic about the future thanks to the new features of Solar Package I and the increase in the maximum bid value for Agri-PVA in accordance with DIN SPEC to 9.5 ct/kWh. ‘On agricultural land, there can be no other solution than an Agri-PV system in accordance with DIN SPEC if the land is to be preserved sustainably for agriculture and regional value creation,’ says Edith Seemann, Managing Director Project Development. SUNfarming sees further potential for Agri-PV systems in Germany
for more than 800,000 hectares of agricultural land, i.e. almost five per cent of agricultural land in Germany.

For SUNfarming, the 20th anniversary marks a milestone in the development towards the combined utilisation of agrivoltaic systems with battery storage, biogas plants for municipal heat heat supply and energy storage, as well as Agri-PV-wind energy combinations for the production of green hydrogen.

Ursula Eckmann
The graduate engineer is project manager at SUNfarming

About SUNfarming
SUNfarming is now developing a plant volume of more than 5 GW of Agri-PV plants in
agri-PV systems in Germany and employs over 150 people nationwide. In 2021 and 2022, the company was further strengthened by the new managing directors Thies Schrum and Edith Seemann. SUNfarming has received several internationally for its holistic, sustainable solar concepts (food, energy, training).

In 2023, Peter Schrum was honoured for his services to international sustainability projects for food security, support for people in developing countries and his Food & Energy concept with the Federal Cross of Merit. At the company's own research and development centre in Rathenow near Berlin, SUNfarming presents the latest solutions and concepts for Agri-PV with animal husbandry and crop production as well as biodiversity PV and peatland PV to several thousand visitors and interested citizens/farmers/municipal decision-makers every year.
https://sunfarming.de/geschaeftsbereich/agri-und-oeko-solaranlagen

On 26 November 2024, an exciting event on the topic of ‘Agriculture with a future’ took place in Güstrow. As part of this event, organised by Bürgschaftsbank Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Edith Seemann, Managing Director of Project Development at SUNfarming, spoke to 40 experienced bank advisors about innovative agri-photovoltaic concepts. She was accompanied by Uwe Brandt, Sales Manager for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Sustainable agriculture with Agri-PV

The presentation focussed on the dual use of agricultural land through agrivoltaics (agri-PV). Edith Seemann gave a practical demonstration of how the use of agrivoltaic solutions can sustainably increase yield security in fruit and vegetable cultivation as well as in animal husbandry. She emphasised the following advantages in particular:

- Preservation of agricultural status: Agri-PV preserves the agricultural use of the land, which is essential for many farmers.
- Yield increase and protection: The systems protect against extreme weather conditions such as hail or heavy rainfall, thus ensuring stable crop yields.
- Climate-friendly energy generation: The combined use of agriculture and solar energy contributes to the energy transition and offers an additional source of income.

Dialogue with bank advisors

The presentation provided bank advisors with a valuable basis for supporting farmers in investing in sustainable projects such as agri-PV in the future. ‘The integration of agri-PV into existing farms opens up new perspectives,’ emphasised Edith Seemann. ‘It is an opportunity to combine economic stability and environmental protection.’

Uwe Brandt added that there is great potential for agri-PV in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in particular, with its extensive agricultural land. He presented concrete examples and models of how this could be realised.

Prospects and outlook

The event in Güstrow made it clear that innovative approaches such as agri-PV not only pave the way for sustainable agriculture, but also make an important contribution to the energy transition. The lively discussion and positive feedback from participants emphasised the growing interest in these solutions.

SUNfarming looks forward to continuing to support farmers, investors and consultants with sustainable concepts and working together on resilient, environmentally friendly agriculture.

After an intensive set-up phase, we presented an eye-catching 1:1 Agri-PV installation and an inviting exhibition stand to over 5,200 trade visitors. In around 100 discussions, we were able to convince more than 30 interested farmers, who are active in various cultivation areas such as pasture farming, chickens, soft fruit, pome fruit and also special crops, of the SUNfarming-Agri-Solar concepts. This will now be followed by profitability calculations and qualified offers.

There was enormous interest in our agrivoltaic (agri-PV) concepts, with discussions with trade visitors focussing in particular on the topic of ‘privileged systems’.

Our Agri-PV solutions, which combine sustainable energy production and efficient agriculture, met with great interest. Numerous visitors took the opportunity to find out about the latest innovations and SUNfarming's extensive experience in the field of agri-solar. The great commitment and curiosity of the visitors confirm our mission to positively shape the future of agriculture through sustainable energy solutions.

EuroTier: innovation driver for the agriculture of the future
As the leading trade fair for professional animal husbandry and livestock management, EuroTier offers a comprehensive platform that presents the latest technologies and solutions for the challenges of today and tomorrow. Our goal at SUNfarming is to make our contribution to a more sustainable agriculture and energy industry. We will show how our Agri-PV concepts open up new perspectives, especially for fruit, vegetable and speciality crop cultivation.

Come and visit us!
The trade fair runs until 15 November - visit us in Hall 25, Stand L13 and find out how we can shape the agriculture of the future together. Let's talk about sustainable solutions and strengthen the connection between food and energy.

We look forward to your visit!

Press release, Miami and Berlin, November 7, 2024 – I Squared Capital, a leading independent global infrastructure investment manager, announced today that its renewables platform Cube Green Energy has signed an agreement to acquire control of SUNfarming, a leading German photovoltaic (PV) developer and independent power producer with a focus on solar projects on agricultural land, known as “Agri-PV”. By joining forces with the founders of SUNfarming, Cube Green Energy will have an early-mover advantage in Germany’s Agri-PV market, unlocking synergies and advancing the company’s commitment to innovative solutions for Germany’s energy transition goals.

Agri-PV is an important segment in the German energy market as the country seeks to transition towards a fully decarbonized power system while ensuring a more independent, affordable, and resilient domestic energy supply. Agri-PV will also help Germany meet its PV capacity target of 215 GW by 2030 while preserving agricultural production.

SUNfarming is a German family-owned renewables developer which has built more than 650 MW of PV projects across Europe and developed a pipeline of close to 2 GW of Agri-PV capacity. The company is a market leader in the high-growth Agri-PV segment in Germany with expertise across the PV value chain from planning and construction to operational asset management. SUNfarming’s founding families trace their roots to the German farming sector resulting in deep and trusted relationships with farmers and local municipalities.

Through the combination, I Squared and Cube Green Energy will support SUNfarming in planning, constructing, and operating its ambitious pipeline. I Squared is targeting to deploy over €500 million of capital expenditure into the execution of SUNfarming’s Agri-PV pipeline by 2028, which will also provide the company with access to I-Squared’s global equipment procurement strategy and scale. Since 2014, I Squared has committed $7 billion to wider energy transition initiatives.

Mohamed El Gazzar, Senior Partner at I Squared, said: “The expansion of renewable energies, and in particular solar energy, is an indispensable building block for achieving climate targets. As a German leader in Agri-PV, SUNfarming offers a win-win solution for climate and agriculture, which I Squared is delighted to support. We are excited to work with SUNfarming’s experienced management team to unlock the company’s full potential within the fast-growing renewable energy market in Germany.”

Raghuveer Kurada, CEO of Cube Green Energy, said: “Joining forces with SUNfarming presents Cube Green Energy with significant synergies in its existing onshore wind development business and neatly complements our strategy to implement innovate solutions for a future with 24/7 renewable energy. Cube Green Energy is delighted to have found a partner in SUNfarming that shares our values, and we look forward to working with such a highly successful and diversified renewables platform in Germany.”

Peter Schrum, founder of SUNfarming, said: “This transaction marks an exciting next stage for our company and brings us an important step closer to the crucial goal of driving the energy transition and creating a greener future. I Squared’s investment via Cube Green Energy gives further tailwind to SUNfarming’s dynamic development and underlines our strong position in the Agri-PV market. The deep market know-how as well as the financial strength of our new partner will help us to continue the success story of SUNfarming in the future. Our partners, customers, and employees will continue to receive services based on our core principles of reliability, sustainable growth, and responsibility.”
The parties have agreed to not disclose the financial details of the transaction, which is expected to close by Q1 2025. The transaction remains subject to obtaining customary regulatory clearances and conditions. SUNfarming founders and key management will retain a significant minority shareholding position and will otherwise continue their existing role in the company.

About I Squared
I Squared is a leading independent global infrastructure investor with over $40 billion in assets under management. We are known for the development of investment platforms in infrastructure projects where we start small and grow big. We use global insights and deep local intelligence to solve complex problems, foster smarter businesses, serve local communities, and invest in a more sustainable future to provide essential services to millions of people around the world. We are a team of over 280 people, headquartered in Miami with offices in Abu Dhabi, London, Munich, New Delhi, São Paulo, Singapore, Sydney and Taipei. We operate a diverse portfolio of 86 companies in more than 70 countries with over 66,000 employees in a variety of sectors including utilities, energy, digital infrastructure, transport, environmental infrastructure, and social infrastructure. You can find out more by visiting: www.isquaredcapital.com.

About SUNfarming
SUNfarming was founded in 2004 as a medium-sized family business by main shareholder Peter Schrum and his partner Martin Tauschke in Erkner near Berlin. The company employs around 120 employees in Germany and Poland and operates in all areas of photovoltaics with a focus on Agri-PV, Biodiversity PV, Floating PV, Rooftop PV, and Eco PV. With a track record of 650 MW PV developments and installations and more than 250 MW maintenance of operating PV plants, SUNfarming is established as one of the leading and long-lasting companies in the German and European solar market. You can find out more by visiting: www.sunfarming.de.

About Cube Green Energy
Cube Green Energy is a Berlin-based independent power producer and renewables developer focused on implementing innovative solutions to power the energy transition. A portfolio company of I Squared Capital, Cube Green Energy has a mission to accelerate Europe’s shift to a zero-carbon economy by upgrading and repowering existing onshore wind farms, developing new renewable energy farms and deploying state-of-the-art battery storage solutions to enable a 24/7 energy future. You can find out more by visiting: www.cubegreenenergy.com.

CONTACT DETAILS:
I Squared
Dominic McMullan/ Shelly Hagan
info@isquaredcapital.com

Brunswick Group
Alexa von Dryander
+49 (0)172 688 738
Tobias Niehaus
+49 (0)174 195 2439
ISquaredGER@brunswickgroup.com

SUNfarming GmbH
Lena Schrum
PR/Communikation
Mobile: +49 176 63647322
Mail: l.schrum@sunfarming.de

Disclaimers
No discussion with respect to specific companies should be considered a recommendation to purchase or sell any particular investment. The companies discussed do not represent all past investments. It should not be assumed that any of the investments discussed were or will be profitable, or that recommendations or decisions made in the future will be profitable. Past performance is not indicative of future results, and there can be no assurance that any investment will achieve similar returns.

This document does not constitute advice or a recommendation or offer to sell or a solicitation to deal in any security or financial product. It is provided for information purposes only. Investing involves risk, loss of principal is possible. Specific investments described herein do not represent all investment decisions made by ISQ. The reader should not assume that investment decisions identified and discussed were or will be profitable. Specific investment advice references provided herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not necessarily representative of investments that will be made in the future.

SUNfarming will be presenting its many years of experience and latest projects in the field of Agri-PV at the world's leading trade fair for professional animal husbandry and livestock management. Find out about our global commitment to connecting food & energy and how our solutions are making agriculture more sustainable.
As the leading innovation platform for the global livestock industry, EuroTier offers a comprehensive overview of the latest technologies, standards and solutions for the challenges of today and tomorrow.

For appointments during the trade fair, please contact Mrs Janine Breitenfeld:
📞 +49 (0)3362 8859 129
📧 j.breitenfeld(at)sunfarming.de

We look forward to your visit!