Trade + industry

Under GAEC 8 (Healthy Agricultural Ecological Status), a set-aside area may only be grazed or mown in September. For this agricultural policy SUNfarming combines flowering meadows with agriphotovoltaics.
Over 40 different wildflower seeds are contained in the special mixture. Among them are various types of clover, meadow bluebell, viper's bugloss, corn poppy, true parsnip and meadow sage. The wildflower component in the SUNfarming mix is REWISA certified (Regional Wild Plant Seeds). Various grasses in the mixture increase forage quality and grazing suitability. They improve soil structure, suppress weeds and provide adaptation to dry or wet soil.

For biodiversity areas with natural species diversity, Agri-Photovoltaic plants are suitable, which are approx. 2.1m at the lowest edge. In general, sown wild herbs should reproduce themselves by seed. Cutting or mulching should therefore only take place after the seeds have set or not at all.

Due to the shading and the resulting cooler climate, evaporation under the panels is considerably reduced. Even between the rows of panels, the shadows cast by the module table counteract drying out. Under the panels, flowering plants develop more in the second year of standing and can flower for a very long time. The rainwater distribution technique has a positive effect; in this area, plants thrive better on light soil.

"From my point of view, it is worthwhile under Agri-PV systems to use a very versatile mix that can adapt to the environment (different shading, different soil, different climate depending on the location even within the system). Not only single grasses/flowering plants should be used. Drought-tolerant plants can be used as well as moisture-loving ones," explains Michael Bleiker, SUNfarming project manager at the Rathenow Research and Innovation Centre.

The wildflower mix produced for SUNfarming can now also be purchased under the trade name SUNfarming B1 from „Samen Schwarzenberger“.

The system development team of the SUNfarming group, which develops all photovoltaic system concepts and substructures of SUNfarming itself, had already developed the research systems on behalf of the Fraunhofer ISE Institute and the Project Management Organisation Jülich in Alt-Morschenich, among others.

For the development of the floating solar plant for the gravel plant in Kaphof/Hückelhoven, the plant development team worked together with plant constructors from the submarine and shipbuilding industries, among others.

The SUNfarming floating solar system was designed to have the most positive effect possible on the ecology of the water, water evaporation is reduced, the oxygen content for flora and fauna in the artificial water is positively influenced and no pollutants are released into the water. The life span of the floating solar system is at least 40 years. The green electricity generated almost completely covers the gravel plant's own electricity needs at the site.

Yvonne Hensing & Nicole Quadflieg – Management of Kieswerk Laprell Kaphof GmbH & Co. KG
"As an electricity-intensive company, we have been looking at the possibilities that floating PV offers our company for a long time. Our motivation was the sustainable reduction of the carbon dioxide footprint of our high-quality produced building materials as well as the long-term stabilization of our electricity costs. The idea developed together with SUNfarming and the innovative solution offered convinced us. A phase of about one and a half years with a test plant went successfully without any problems e.g. during storms. During the whole project and construction phase SUNfarming convinced us with professionalism, innovative spirit and perfect communication."

After the welcome by Peter Schrum, Founder and Shareholder of the SUNfarming Group, a tour followed with Mr. Schrum and Michael Bleiker, the plant manager in Rathenow, to present the research facilities with first exciting insights. After a snack, which included self-harvested raspberries, various presentations followed.

Arndt Lahmann, Junior Project Consultant Agri-Solar at SUNfarming, started the series of lectures with the presentation of the SUNfarming Group and the developed agri-solar concepts on grassland, agricultural and set-aside areas as well as for the moor solar concept for the coupling of the expansion of renewable energies and climate protection/CO2 reduction through the rewetting of agriculturally used, drained moor soils. Interesting details were presented on the preservation of the agricultural status of soils through agri-solar systems in accordance with DIN SPEC Standard 91434 "Agri-Photovoltaics" and the latest amendment to the German Building Code.

Torsten Holler, Managing Director of Agricultural Service-, Trading and Consulting Company, then went into the possible combinations of an agri-solar system with the guidelines of the renewed Common Agricultural Policy 2023 (CAP). The focus was on the standards of the good agricultural and ecological condition of the land (GAEC). Among these, the combination of the set-aside obligation according to GAEC 8 with agri-photovoltaics was particularly addressed, which, according to the PV strategy of the BMWK, is to be made possible in the subsequent solar package in May 2023. The EEG amendment was also discussed.

Following the series of lectures, there was a lively exchange between the speakers and the very interested guests, with many exciting questions being discussed.

Heinsberg, 09.06.2022. Almost one year after the foundation of SUNfarming West GmbH in Heinsberg, a subsidiary of the SUNfarming Group with headquarters in Erkner near Berlin, the first 5.1 MW solar park on the site of the former gravel pit "Tagebau Wilhelm" of the Heinsberg families Quadflieg and Hensing could be connected to the grid. As a pioneer in the field of agri-voltaic systems, investor and operator of more than 350 megawatts of PV systems in its own portfolio, SUNfarming has installed innovative elements of its two product types "agri- and eco-photovoltaics" in this solar park for the first time in the Rhineland.

In this way, another subsequent use has been created on the backfilled former gravel pit, which from now on will make an important contribution to energy security in Heinsberg as well as to the reduction of climate-damaging greenhouse gases. The PV system generates regional green electricity that will supply more than 1,500 households. Sheep graze under the module tables, and a flowering meadow has been laid out on the surface to breed queen bees so that flora and fauna can develop undisturbed. In total, the plant saves about 2,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. In the future, part of the electricity will be used to balance the Alliander grid. In addition, the green electricity will be available to the people of Heinsberg as regional electricity from the local solar park. The electricity supplier lekker Energie will soon offer such a regional electricity product for electricity customers in Heinsberg.

"SUNfarming is a German medium-sized family business that develops, builds, operates and mostly finances all types of photovoltaic systems in 15 countries around the world, including classic ground-mounted, roof-mounted and landfill systems as an investor. However, our focus is on the dual use of extensively used agricultural land for our agri- and eco-PV as well as also gardening and orcharding concepts and for our animal welfare plants with suckler cow husbandry," explains Edith Brasche, member of the management board of SUNfarming West and director for international projects of SUNfarming. "In addition to climate protection and the generation of renewable energy, we are also particularly interested in ensuring agricultural use or the production of food under the facilities. Since 2014, the SUNfarming group has implemented Agri-PV concepts, also known as Food & Energy plants, in South Africa and other African countries, Turkey, Madagascar and the Dominican Republic. In Africa and Southern Europe, it has been shown that Agri-PV is able to protect plants and animals from climate-related, damaging weather conditions, such as we are unfortunately increasingly experiencing here in the Rhineland. We also want to contribute to keeping as much CO2 as possible in the soil through rewetting under the plants," says Edith Brasche.
Igor Hensing, a graduate mining engineer with many years of experience in the field of new technologies in biomass, renewable energies and green chemistry, is also a member of the management of SUNfarming West and is pleased that after almost ten years of development, the realisation of this project in Heinsberg has now succeeded: "On an area like the former Wilhelm open-cast mine, the realisation of such an innovative solar park with agricultural use and contribution to biodiversity is simply ideal. Due to the maximum fist height of 2.90 m, the plant fits in here on the site and ideally into the landscape. At the same time, almost no area was sealed," explains Igor Hensing. "Dual-use concepts such as agri- and eco-PV or solar on water could make a major contribution to achieving the internationally agreed climate targets without causing conflicts in land use. We urgently need to accelerate the expansion of renewable energies. The climate protection goals to which we as Europeans committed in Paris 2015 mean, for example, a quadrupling of solar energy production for NRW by 2030. We do not have much time! The approval procedures for renewable energies must be significantly simplified and accelerated," says Igor Hensing.
Reiner Priggen also welcomes the official start of the largest solar park of this kind in NRW, which contains agri and eco-PV elements: "According to the plans of the state government so far, the installed solar power capacity is to be almost quadrupled to 24,000 megawatts by 2030. That is why we need many such innovative dual-use projects like the one in Heinsberg as soon as possible," emphasised the Chairman of the NRW Renewable Energies Association (LEE NRW) at the inauguration ceremony.
On this occasion, Priggen called on the emerging new Düsseldorf state government of the CDU and the Greens to use photovoltaics to an "extent not yet known nationwide". "For this we need not only every private and commercial roof, but as many agri- and floating PV projects as possible, as well as open space installations on the verges of motorways and railway lines.

SUNfarming specialises primarily in large-scale systems, the occupation of conversion areas, landfill sites and with a particular focus on Agri-PV, Eco-PV and Moorland PV systems. Special quality features are the extremely durable and high-yielding glass-glass modules combined with a sophisticated irrigation system and a stable steel construction with which the modules are placed at different heights. SUNfarming has its own teams for technical development and quality control. SUNfarming's development and implementation know-how was also used, among other things, in the development and construction of the research and demonstration plant of the Jülich Research Centre and the Fraunhofer Institute as part of the BioeconomyREVIER structural change initiative at the Morschenich-Alt site near Jülich, which was completed a few months ago.

About SUNfarming:
SUNfarming was founded in 2004 by the North German entrepreneur and agricultural economist Peter Schrum and his partner Martin Tauschke in Erkner near Berlin. The family-run project developer and investor realises turnkey solar plants with a focus on agri- and eco-solar plants and is active in 15 countries around the world. As an investor, SUNfarming operates approx. 350 MW of solar power in its own portfolio and is currently working on a further 2.5 gigawatt project volume in Germany alone. SUNfarming had already developed its own quality seal for solar modules in 2007. In the company's own research and development centre in Rathenow near Berlin, SUNfarming has been researching and developing the cultivation of vegetables, medicinal herbs, fruit and wine as well as the keeping of chickens, sheep and suckler cows with calves under PV and the use of new PV technologies and agri-robots under the modules in cooperation with various universities since 2018. SUNfarming has already received several awards for its holistic commitment through the use of its "Food & Energy concepts" in combination with the production of food, the training of needy people in sustainable agriculture and the creation of jobs. SUNfarming is also a founding member of the Bundesverband Regenerative Mobilität e.V. and the non-profit development aid association Food, Education, Energy & Development e.V..

Contact:
SUNfarming West GmbH
At the Vossenweg 2
52525 Heinsberg
Germany
Edith Brasche
Mobile: +49 152 536 169 93
e.brasche@sunfarming.de
Igor Hensing
Mobile: +49 172 214 3827
i.hensing@sunfarming.de

The Ministry of Economics, Labour and Energy and the Berlin-Brandenburg regional group of the Association of Municipal Enterprises (VKU) awarded the Heinersdorf project a special prize at the Energy Efficiency Award 2021 ceremony.
Heiner Kamper, project manager of SUNfarming: "The jury emphasised the high educational value for the children. Furthermore, the jury praised the project as a positive example of citizen participation in the energy transition.
We congratulate Bürgerenergie Oder-Spree on this award and thank them for their trust in SUNfarming."

The plant size is 47.6 KWp, the produced output is 45,000 KWh and the self-consumption for school and kindergarden is 50%. The communities bear no risk, the roofs are leased from the capital contributions of the cooperative members and supply the community with cheap, renewable energy via the SUNfarming PV system. The citizens' cooperative is planning to lease further roofs and to have them realised.

1. Biofertilizer from fermentation residues:
Development of a solar-powered process to process digestate from biogas plants and produce liquid biofertilizer

2. PV cooling mat:
Solar power generation by cooling PV modules using innovative cooling mats and combined use of heat potential (PV cooling mat)

3. Artemisia annua cultivation:
Sustainable cultivation for ecological and economical cultivation of Artemisia Annua in partially shaded agri-solar systems

4. Aquaponics in PV plants:
Development of an energy sustainable and resource efficient aquaculture cycle system under the partially shaded areas of Agri-Solar plants

5. Agro-robotics:
Development of an autonomous agro-robot for efficient Artemisia cultivation in Agri-Solar facilities

The total complex consisting of a skylight dome hall, 2 shed roof halls, 2 x light weight halls, 2 Food & Energy facilities and a social building has 730 kWp of installed PV capacity with an energy production of 690 MWh per year.