On 180 hectares

Largest agri-PV plant to be built in Wallern & Tadten

In the Sonnenpark Tadten-Wallern, the "ramming blow" for the start of construction of Europe's largest agri-PV plant was given.

(Bild: Charlotte Titz)

Not only solar power is to be produced here, vegetables are also to thrive between the panels. The largest agri-PV wind project in Europe between Tadten and Wallern aims to prove that this is possible.

Yesterday, Burgenland Energie CEO Stephan Sharma gave the official "ramming blow". The area on which the giant project was launched belongs to the Esterhazy farms. The plan is for 180 hectares of photovoltaics - combined with organic farming.

Burgenland Energie CEO Stephan Sharma gave the machine the order to ram the upright into the ground.

(Bild: Charlotte Titz)

"We want to try out many different crops," explains Esterhazy board member Matthias Grün. Irrigation systems are also to be tested in order to be able to irrigate the areas gently in the future. "There are crops that like the microclimate between the PV panels," he explains.

This would include potatoes, as well as various soft fruits. Unlike conventional PV systems, the PV panels are not fixed, but can be moved using a dedicated tracker system and therefore track the sun. In addition, thanks to the GPS system and pivoting panels, tractors can drive up to two centimetres close to the individual sun shields.

The future will show which crops will grow between and under the panels, and work is also being carried out with the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture in Vienna.

The SonnenPark is designed as a hybrid park and will be interconnected with Andau, currently the largest wind farm. "In terms of a climate-friendly future, we are making optimum use of Burgenland's gold, the wind and the sun, together," explains Stephan Sharma.

+5

Fotos

And the local residents will also benefit from the park, which is being built in several sections due to its size. This is because the residents of Tadten and Wallern can purchase their own regional solar power locally from Burgenland Energie through a renewable energy community. At a fixed price. And in the middle of the energy crisis.

In other words, a sun-tracking photovoltaic system with an output of up to 164 MW is being built on an area of 180 hectares. Burgenland is thus demonstrating that it is possible to combine renewable power generation, agriculture and citizen participation with the power of innovation.