Solar park

With a 1:1 agri-solar system (17 x 6 m) in the outdoor area, we were able to demonstrate live how agriculture and energy production can be sustainably combined through intelligent dual use. Numerous visitors came to find out about our concepts for animal husbandry, special crops, and fruit and vegetable cultivation.

The response speaks for itself:

*Around 67,000 visitors in total at MeLa 2025
*Hundreds of technical discussions with farmers, interested parties, and decision-makers
*Great interest in visiting our research and innovation center in Rathenow
*Special appreciation through the visit of Mr. Johann-Georg Jäger, Chairman of the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Renewable Energy Association (LEE MV e.V.)

Our agri-PV consultants held numerous discussions and were able to make many new contacts. A particular focus was on the launch of our first large-sca

As part of the Cube Green Energy Group, we will be able to offer our customers even more comprehensive solutions in the future – from agri-PV and photovoltaics to wind energy.

Conclusion

MeLa 2025 was a complete success for SUNfarming. The high level of interest confirms our role as a leading provider of agri-photovoltaic solutions. Together with farmers, partners, and political actors, we are shaping the agriculture of tomorrow—sustainable, innovative, and economical.

We would like to thank everyone who visited us at the trade fair and look forward to the next steps in our joint projects!

With a total of 25,000 photovoltaic modules, this innovative plant will not only contribute to the regional energy transition, but also serve as another example of the sustainable reuse of former landfill sites.
The PV system will generate green electricity in the Eberswalde region and thus make an important contribution to supplying regional companies. In addition, the plant will save around 5,000 tons of CO2 annually and thus have a positive impact on climate protection.
Thies Schrum, Member of the Management Board of SUNfarming, emphasizes: "We are pleased that, together with our long-standing partners, we are also implementing special systems on buildings in addition to our main focus on agri-solar systems in order to sustainably shape the energy transition through the multiple use of land.
With this project, SUNfarming is continuing on its path of creating sustainable solutions for energy supply and leaving a positive ecological footprint.

Steinhöfel, 28 August 2024 - SUNfarming GmbH (the leading developer and investor for agrivoltaic systems in Germany) is working with SPIE (the independent European market leader for multi-technical services in the energy and communications sectors) to build the substation for green electricity from Europe's largest agrivoltaic project ‘Klimapark Steinhöfel’. This extends across eight districts and will connect a total installed capacity of up to 753 megawatt peak (MWp) to the grid. The plant with a total of four transformers will ensure that the energy generated is reliably fed into the existing high-voltage grid of the regional distribution grid operator E.DIS via 110-kilovolt cable systems.

The Steinhöfel climate park is a lighthouse project in the photovoltaic sector and combines sustainable energy generation with genuine agricultural production on an area of around 500 hectares. Innovative designs and technologies enable efficient and sustainable dual use of the agricultural land with light and rainwater management under the DIN SPEC-compliant bifacial glass-glass PV modules at a minimum height of 2.10 metres. This dual utilisation has lasting positive effects on animal welfare and husbandry, biodiversity, CO2 reduction, groundwater protection and agricultural yield security on the sandy soils in this region, which have been difficult to cultivate up to now. SUNfarming developed the agricultural concept for the Steinhöfel climate park in close cooperation with an agricultural consultancy for local farms and local farmers and brought it to the planning permission stage within a four-year development period. Once the agri-PV systems have been built, the agricultural land will be used as perennial fodder production areas and as temporary portion pastures for calf and heifer rearing.

SPIE is providing all services for this project, from planning permission and implementation planning to the entire procurement of materials for the substation, primary and secondary planning, installation and commissioning. ‘With our technical solutions, we enable the integration of renewable energies and thus create the infrastructural prerequisites for the energy transition and a climate-friendly future,’ says Burkhard Sager, Head of the High Voltage division at SPIE Germany & Central Europe. ‘We are pooling our decades of experience to realise this complex project,’ adds Hannes Weinreich, Head of the Green Substations department in SPIE Germany & Central Europe's High Voltage division. ‘The main challenge here is the tight schedule, in which many work steps have to dovetail precisely for a project of this magnitude to succeed

‘The Steinhöfel Climate Park is the largest SUNfarming pioneer project, which we have successfully developed in just under four years with the statute resolutions in all districts,’ explains Martin Tauschke, co-founder and Managing Director of SUNfarming. ‘We can only realise this ambitious project thanks to the very good and close cooperation with the municipality of Steinhöfel, the citizens of the region, the Oder-Spree district, our agricultural landlords and our technical partners.’ SUNfarming has been developing and researching its own Agri-PV systems for more than 10 years. ‘Our agri-PV solutions convince farmers and investors alike,’ explains Edith Brasche, Managing Director of Project Development at SUNfarming. ‘We are currently developing several gigawatts of agrivoltaic systems - for use in crop and fruit growing as well as for keeping suckler cows and calves, poultry and fallow deer. The Steinhöfel climate park is part of our research to prove that agrivoltaic systems protect the environment, nature and groundwater against climate change and bring real added value to rural regions,’ says Brasche.
Work on the substation is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2025, with commissioning planned for the second quarter of 2026. The first parts of the Agri-PV park in Steinhöfel will be connected directly to the grid via the substation once it is commissioned.

As a driver of the energy transition, E.DIS Netz GmbH is proud to contribute its expertise and support to this pioneering project. As a long-standing supporter and driver of the energy transition in the region, E.DIS Netz GmbH is significantly involved in providing the grid connection at the Steinhöfel substation, which serves as the hub for feeding green electricity from Europe's largest agri-solar project. ‘Our partnership in this project underlines our ongoing commitment to developing innovative solutions for a sustainable energy supply,’ emphasises Petra Kortenkamp, Head of Individual Customers at E.DIS Netz GmbH. ‘For over two years, we have been intensively involved in the planning and realisation of the technical grid connection, which enables the renewable energy generated to be efficiently integrated into the grid. Our focus here is on a forward-looking and secure energy infrastructure.’ E.DIS Netz GmbH sees this project not only as a significant investment in the regional energy industry, but also as an important step towards a climate-neutral future. ‘This project impressively demonstrates how collaboration and technological innovation can pave the way for a sustainable energy future.
‘This project is an impressive demonstration of how collaboration and technological innovation can pave the way for a sustainable energy future. We are determined to further strengthen our contribution to the energy transition and to promote and implement innovative projects that drive the energy transition forward,’ adds Petra Kortenkamp.

SUNfarming Group's Managing Director Martin Tauschke and Project Developer Heiner Kamper presented the project. The SUNfarming Group combines agriculture and solar power production in this innovative project to promote efficient use of agricultural land and increase energy generation from renewable sources.
The presentation of SUNfarming's agricultural concept generated great interest among the politicians. The project enables the keeping of mother cows, sheep, and chickens, as well as the cultivation of various vegetables, fruits, and medicinal herbs under the solar modules. SUNfarming will conduct intensive research projects in cooperation with the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) e.V. from Müncheberg to determine the optimal uses for Agri-Solar systems.

Dr. Dietmar Woidke emphasized the importance of Agri-Solar projects for preserving agricultural land and increasing societal acceptance for such innovations.

The government particularly supports the dual use of land for agricultural production combined with solar energy generation. Agri-Solar simultaneously secures food and energy supply for the population.

As a contribution to the energy turnaround and energy supply with green photovoltaic electricity, SUNfarming is realising a photovoltaic plant on the 9-hectare site of the Ohmbach household waste landfill, which has been closed since 1 February 2022. With a module area of over 2.3 hectares, this is the largest open-space photovoltaic plant within the boundaries of the city of Pirmasens.
Andreas Flörchinger, Head of SUNfarming Project Development: "I am very pleased to be able to implement this project in my former home region of Palatinate, together with Ralf Gebhard, Head of SUNfarming South-West. The PV plant, which has been under construction since October 2022, offers an opportunity to create an additional use with added value for the environment and society on an ecologically damaged landfill site. The photovoltaic plant on the landfill site is scheduled for completion by March 2023. We at SUNfarming would like to express our gratitude for the very good cooperation with the city of Pirmasens."

Some facts about the plant:
- 2,470 t CO2 savings per year due to the photovoltaic plant Landfill Ohmbachtal, Pirmasens.
- 823 cars can offset their CO2 emissions with 20,000 km/year of driving or
- 2000 households can be supplied with 2,500 kWh/year of CO2-neutral PV electricity.
- Grid feed-in: approx. 5,083,440 kWh/year

Further ecological added value for biodiversity
- Flowering strips
- Honey production
- Cooperation with local beekeepers
- Food for insects
- Sheep grazing in cooperation with local shepherds