Pioneer in "good planning" of solar parks

The question of where to build a park is increasingly turning into the question of how to best plan and implement a solar park. How does the expansion of ground-mounted PV systems have the most positive impact on the environment, agriculture and nature conservation? The German Association for the New Energy Economy (bne) has found answers to these pressing questions with the development of the Good Planning Checklist. In autumn 2020, the bne had already launched the voluntary commitment for PV companies "Good Planning of Outdoor PV Systems". The defined standards go beyond what is required by law, for example in the design of distances between module rows and the use of space in solar parks. Now, at the B:NEW22 event in Berlin, a revised version of the standards was published that places a clearer focus on agriculture than before. Already today, solar parks are mainly planned on agricultural land, but hardly ever classified in an agricultural context. Good planning aims to create trust, untie knots in the tension between energy and agriculture and lead discussions on opportunities, e.g. on biodiversity PV as an extensive form of agri-PV. The industry is committed to making this best practice the new standard. Even more: the companies are committing to this principle," says bne Managing Director Robert Busch.
Elke Hanel, CDO and authorised signatory, signs this voluntary commitment on behalf of MaxSolar (2nd from left) before it was symbolically handed over to the state secretary Patrick Graichen, who was also present. "We appeal to the federal states and municipalities to give the added value of increasing biodiversity an appropriate priority in the planning and approval process," said Elke Hanel.