Solar park

26
Nov

SUNfarming secures 17 million euros for new PV projects in Poland

The SUNfarming Group from Germany has secured two new bridging lines with different debt funds. The funds are intended to expand the existing portfolio in Poland in the short term to a total output of approx. 60 MWp.

The two individual transactions are an extension of an existing line and an interim financing for the acquisition and installation of a dedicated portfolio, which has been implemented with a new partner.

EUR 12 million will be used to finance the construction of 17 MWp of new photovoltaic projects in Poland, which have already been awarded a contract from the 2018 auction and are to be built and connected to the grid by April 2020. An existing funding line was increased from EUR 20 million to EUR 25 million. This now revolving credit line is available to the SUNfarming Group for approx. 3 years and is an essential building block for the realization of new projects and thus for further growth in Poland.

"With the conclusion of these two new facilities, we want to continue our growth after a successful year in 2018 and significantly increase our Polish portfolio to at least 150 MWp over the next two years", says Martin Tauschke, Managing Director and co-shareholder of the SUNfarming Group.

The Polish government recently extended the completion deadline for projects from the 2018 auction to November 2020, which has increased the likelihood of realization of many projects. In addition, a further PV auction will take place in December 2019 with a tender volume of 750 MW of solar capacity. According to current statistics, about 1 GWp is installed in the Polish market, of which about 500 MW are outdoor projects in the auction.

With 46 MW of projects already installed and after completion of projects under construction, SUNfarming has a market share of nearly 10% of realized auction projects in Poland.

18
Nov

Food & Energy PPP Training Center ceremoniously opened in Turkey.

On the 13th of November the ribbon was cut in Cevdetiye in Osmaniye for the opening of the first SUNfarming Food & Energy Training Center in Turkey. On 25,000 square meters, the latest SUNfarming Food & Energy Training Center offers highly interesting development prospects for the region. Near the Syrian border, connected to the refugee camp Cevdetiye in Osmaniye, thousands of refugees and people from the region will find training and work in the coming years.

More than 200 guests from politics and business, from universities and guests from Cevdetiye participated in the solemn ceremony. Among them were the mayor of Çevdetiye, Mr. Kadir Kaya and the mayor of Kadirli, Mr. Ömer Tarhan, the president of the Osmaniye Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Devrim Aksoy, Provincial Director of T.R. Osmaniye Provincial Directorate of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, Mr. İbrahim Sağlam, rector of Osmaniye Korkut Ata University, Prof. Dr. Murat Türk, DOĞAKA Eastern Mediterranean Development Agency / General Coordinator, Mr. Erdinç Kadıoğlu.
The German Embassy in Ankara hosted Mr. Friedo Sielemann, Head of the Economic Department, as well as the Agency for Economic and Development from Berlin. Mr. Ian Lachmund, Senior Advisor and from Cologne DEG Bank Mr. David Arndt.
Guest of honor was Prince Lorenzo Kouami Folly Kuegah, Prince of Togo. 30 MWp Food & Energy Training Center are currently being developed in Togo, and a MoU has already been signed.

In their speeches, the German representatives of the German Embassy and DEG pointed out how important the developmental know-how transfer of German technologies is by means of training investments for German development aid. The Food & Energy Training Center in Turkey was realized with the help of KfW / DEG as Private Partnership Project.

Peter Schrum, founder of the SUNfarming Group and main shareholder, explains: "The focus of the German-Turkish training project is the training of Syrian refugees and Turkish residents with the help of local university teachers and our local training partners. The aim of the project is training as entrepreneurs in the organic food sector and as a photovoltaic technician for renewable energies. In the future, this Food & Energy Training project will serve as a Blue Print for further development investments in Turkey and Syria. The project also helps Syria and Turkey."

SUNfarming represents numerous German technology companies in the Food & Energy Centers with their innovative products and combines them with local technology. The number of trained people with an emphasis on entrepreneurship education through franchising and cooperatives is particularly high in this concept.

Many basic conditions had to be created, such as a well had to be drilled for the water supply of the plant. In order to carry out the training optimally, SUNfarming has also set up a training center with classroom and training equipment, directly behind the refugee camp. For this purpose, a shop was specially built so the produced eggs and vegetables can be sold together with items of daily needs.

25,000 m2 Food & Energy Training Center mean every year:
• approx. 250 training places in organic food cultivation and solar technology, 4 courses p.a.
• up to 125 tons of organic vegetables in training
• chicken breeding and egg production
• clean, renewable energy
• CO2 savings

Next week, SUNfarming will hold concrete project discussions with representatives of Togo, Burkina Faso, Senegal and other African countries at the G20 summit compact with 30 MWp Food & Energy facilities with a potential of 30,000 jobs in each country. In West Africa alone, the training facilities have a potential of more than 100,000 new jobs over the next 10 years. These new, skilled jobs in organic food production including chickens and egg production, processing and marketing, as well as in the fields of solar technology and electric mobility are made possible.
100 MWp SUNfarming Food & Energy plants have the nutritional potential for more than 700,000 people in Togo, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Ghana.

11
Oct

1000 new employees in service and maintenance ;-)

Where we once had to mow with great effort, today 1,000 woolly service workers keep the surfaces between the solar plants short.

Since 2016, we have flocks of sheep for grazing our solar systems in Mecklenburg Vorpommern in use.
Prerequisite for the functionality of the solar modules is the prevention of shading by the plant growth. The regular care of the vegetation by sheep grazing prevents shading of the modules. In contrast to mechanical mowing, there is no dust or damage caused by falling rocks. Checking the shepherd at irregular times also reduces the risk of theft.
SUNfarming has had good experiences with this environmentally friendly and gentle care of the areas. SUNfarming has created 1000 hectares of PV solar plants over the past 15 years and these areas must all be mown.

"For me, the consistently short surface is better for the service, because otherwise was always mowed when the grass was already knee high and a come through was rather exhausting. I am often approached by residents or walkers, who always tell me that they like the sheep very well, explains Marco Ströde, SUNfarming technician for service and maintenance.

The shepherd also benefits from this secure pasture, which has already been fitted with a wire mesh fence.
The modules are a good shade dispenser and windscreen and the substructures provide shelter for lambing sheep. The areas are unloaded as no fertilizers and pesticides are used.

Conservation welcomes the dual use of land, the extensive grazing has positive effects on biodiversity, the practice of the pasture pasture sheep serve other animal and plant species as a means of transport and increase biodiversity.

3
Sep

11 megawatt SUNfarming solar parks in Poland on the grid

After the completion of the first 4 megawatt solar parks near the Ostroleka coal-fired power plant at the end of last year, another 7 megawatt SUNfarming solar parks in Poland were connected to the grid in June 2019.The latest investments make SUNfarming with 11 megawatts of existing portfolio one of the largest solar investors in Poland.

SUNfarming successfully completed seven new projects in the auction system. The latest projects are located in the provinces of Lower Silesia, Greater Poland, Lodz and Lublin. These are three 1-megawatt solar parks erected in the Lask district of Lódz, as well as four 1-megawatt investments in the provinces of Dolnoslaskie and Lubelskie. In line with the auction commitments, all seven solar parks started producing energy in June.

"We are happy about another 7 megawatts of clean energy for Poland. We thank all involved for the efficient and professional cooperation. With a planned PV capacity of 1.2 GW by 2020 with currently only about 360 MW of installed capacity, Poland represents an important future market for us, "said Martin Tauschke, Managing Director of SUNfarming GmbH and SUNfarming Polska sp.zoo.. "Further,we were able to secure 35 megawatt solar parks during the auction process in November; the planned investments are to be completed by the end of 2019 / beginning of 2020. However, we do not want to rely only on the Polish auction process, but also rely on PPA's (Power Purchase Agreements) for the development of larger projects, "explains Martin Tauschke.

The Polish auctioning system of procurement and an internal policy based on renewable energies allow SUNfarming as a medium-sized company to support the expansion of renewable energies and to make profitable investments in Poland. SUNfarming started the construction of the first 4 megawatt solar parks in Poland at the end of December 2018. By winning the tender, all PV parks benefit from a 15-year "contract for differences" with the Polish Energy Agency URE, which guarantees a fixed feed-in tariff for each kWh produced by paying the difference to the market price.

Photovoltaics is becoming increasingly important among renewable energy sources in Poland as it is the cheapest energy that can be obtained with existing technologies. In addition, the use of fallow land and soils with low soil quality spares agricultural arable land.

29
Jul

SUNfarming Wild Herbs Meadows

SUNfarming plough for biodiversity: Yarrow, toadstool, bee pasture, wild radish, around 80 different wild herbs decorate the meadows and flower strips of our solar parks.

Extinction of pollinator insects threatens to produce $ 235-577 billion a year worldwide, according to the Biodiversity Council. Of 8 million insects, 1 million are threatened with extinction.
In March we started our pilot project "SUNfarming Wild Herbs Meadows - for more biodiversity ". First, the right seed mixture had to be found: it should be perennial and contain many medicinal herbs, bees and insects should find food and shelter throughout the summer, the meadow should be colorful so that also pleases our eyes.
"Skeptically we looked at the small amount of seed ordered: 1 kg for one hectare of arable land! We milled, sown and rolled - and then waited, "says Ursula Eckmann, SUNfarming Marketing.

"It followed a long dry April, on our field was still nothing to see. At the end of May we could see the first tender green and long-awaited rain brought us the sight of a dense herb carpet. The carpet is now more than knee high at the beginning of July and in the photo you can see how colorful it blooms. Bees, beetles, bumblebees, caterpillars and butterflies frolic on the flowers and leaves, with a stature height of about 60 cm, the meadow is an ideal hiding place for animals, "Ursula Eckmann continues.

Many plants are known as medical herbs and can be used to make teas, ointments and tinctures. Marigolds have a disinfectant, anti-inflammatory and wound healing, shepherd's purse contains a lot of vitamin C and a lot of minerals, yarrow was already known in the Middle Ages as a special gypsophila and ribwort helps with itchy mosquito bites. Many of the seeded herbs have a positive effect on the entire cardiovascular system. Rosemary improves blood circulation, oregano soothes and borage counteracts nervous irritation. Frequent use in the kitchen is well worth it.
With a stature height of 60 cm there is no impairment of the performance of the solar modules by shading.
Our solar parks not only generate renewable energy but, at the same time, provide added value for nature through the dual use of the areas. Bloom strips between the rows of modules promote the biodiversity of plants and animals. Herbal mixtures, herbal salads, smoothies or Sunny Wild Honey are produced regionally and sustainably.

SUNfarming Conclusion: Diversity is healthy!

29
May

SUNfarming receives mezzanine capital for photovoltaic portfolio with 116 MWp in Germany

The SUNfarming Group from Erkner has received over € 23 million of mezzanine capital from HANSAINVEST Real Assets GmbH through its BPG IPP GmbH & Co. KG ("BPG IPP") in April of this year. The funds have already been disbursed via a subordinated loan from an investment vehicle of the Signal Iduna Insurance Group.

"The long-term financing instrument with low capital costs enables us to expand our working capital financial leeway and drive our expansion in Germany and abroad. The fresh capital offers us the opportunity to further expand our portfolio of solar plants in Germany, Europe and Africa, "says Martin Tauschke, Managing Director of the SUNfarming Group and BPG IPP. "In particular, we will have the opportunity to further develop our innovative Food & Energy concepts and implement our first large-scale projects in the near future," continues Martin Tauschke. However, the SUNfarming Group will continue to focus on the realization and investment of classic solar systems with fixed feed-in tariffs on roofs and unused open spaces, especially in Europe. The company's own PV portfolio is also to be expanded by acquiring existing plants.