Many countries and territories have installed significant solar power capacity into their electrical grids to supplement or provide an alternative to conventional energy sources. Solar power plants use one of two technologies:
The Waldpolenz Solar Park is a 52-megawatt (MW) photovoltaic power station built by German developer and operator Juwi at a former military air base near Leipzig, Eastern Germany. When completed by the end of 2008, it was the world's largest thin-film solar park using CdTe-modules.
Solar power in Germany consists almost exclusively of photovoltaics (PV) and accounted for an estimated 8.2 percent of the country's gross-electricity generation in 2019. About 1.5 million photovoltaic systems were installed around the country in 2014, ranging from small rooftop systems, to medium commercial and large utility-scale solar parks. Germany's largest solar farms are located in Meuro, Neuhardenberg, and Templin with capacities over 100 MW.
The Köthen Solar Park is a photovoltaic power station in Köthen, Germany. It has a capacity of 45 megawatts (MW) and an expected annual electricity generation of 42 gigawatt-hours. The solar park was developed and built by RGE Energy.
The Senftenberg Solarpark is a photovoltaic power station located on former open-pit mining areas close to the city of Senftenberg, in Eastern Germany. The 78 MW Phase 1 of the plant was completed within three months and generates power for about 25,000 households. It was opened on September 24, 2011, by the Prime Minister of the German state of Brandenburg. The ground-based PV plant is designed for a total capacity of 148 MW.
A photovoltaic power station, also known as a solar park, solar farm, or solar power plant is a large-scale photovoltaic system designed for the supply of merchant power into the electricity grid. They are differentiated from most building-mounted and other decentralised solar power applications because they supply power at the utility level, rather than to a local user or users. The generic expression utility-scale solar is sometimes used to describe this type of project.
The Lauingen Energy Park is a 25.7–megawatt (MW) photovoltaic power station, located in Bavarian Swabia, Germany. It covers an area of 63 hectares and was commissioned in June 2010.
The Tutow Solar Park is in Demmin, Germany, and is located at Tutow Airport.
Solarpark Eiche is a 26.5-megawatt (MW) photovoltaic power station located in Ahrensfelde‐Eiche, Germany, near the capital Berlin, and covers an area of 73 hectares.
Serenissima Solar Park is a 48 MW photovoltaic (PV) plant in Northeast Italy. The construction schedule was shortened by several months to meet the August 31, 2011 deadline to receive the FIT rate of EUR 0.256/kWh.
The Solarpark Heideblick is a photovoltaic power station in Heideblick, Germany. It has a capacity of 27.5 megawatts (MW). The solar park was developed and built by Enerparc.
Ernsthof Solar Park is a photovoltaic power station near Dörlesberg, Wertheim, Germany. It has a capacity of 34.4 MWp making it the largest Solar Park in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Phase I of 6.88 MWp and covering an area of 16.6 hectares, consisted of 31,280 modules by LDK Solar Energy Systems was completed on March 30, 2010. The second phase of 7.25 MWp was completed in December 2010, and it was expanded to 29.5 MW and then to 34.4 MW, with over 120,000 modules being fitted in December. Ernsthof East is 6.8 MW and Ernsthof West is 27.5 MW. The total area is 85 ha. Ernsthof is part of the Tauberlandpark, a planned 72 MW solar park consisting of Ernsthof and Solarpark Gickelfeld, which has been delayed due to the political uncertainty of solar parks of over 10 MW receiving the FIT. They may need, instead, to sign a Power Purchase Agreement with the grid distribution power company, which is better than subdividing large projects into multiple smaller segments just to qualify for the FIT.
Reckahn Solar Park is a photovoltaic power station in Reckahn, southwest of Berlin, Germany. It has a capacity of 37.7 megawatt (MW) and was constructed in three phases. Reckahn I was 22.661 MW covering 56 hectares and was built by Beck Energy GmbH (Belectric) using 292,000 First Solar thin-film CdTe-panels, and was expected to produce about 22 gigawatt-hours per year. Reckahn II added 13.3 MW, using 172,000 modules on a 35 hectares site. Reckahn III, completed in 2011, added 1.8 MW, bringing the total to 37.7 MW. The FIT is 21.1 Euro cents per kilowatt-hour.
Brandenburg-Briest Solarpark is photovoltaic power station, located at a former military airfield in Brandenburg, Germany. At the time of its completion, it was the largest solar park in Europe. Equipped with Q-Cells solar modules, it consists of three sections, namely
Solarpark Meuro is a 166 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic power station located in Meuro and Schipkau, Germany. The plant was built on a former lignite mine and is the country's largest solar park. It was named POWER-GEN International solar project of the year in 2012.
Templin Solar Park is a 128 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic power station, located at the former Templin military airport.
The Walddrehna Solar Park is a 52.284 MW photovoltaic power station, which is located in Walddrehna, Brandenburg, Germany, on a former military base.
The Perleberg Solar Park is a photovoltaic power station, with an installed capacity of 35 megawatts (MW). It uses 144,144 solar panels manufactured by Chinese company Yingli. The panels are mounted at a fixed angle on posts that are driven into the ground, at a former military airport.
Güstrow Solarpark is a 31-megawatt (MW) photovoltaic power station near Güstrow, Germany. It was built on the site of a former sugar factory and covers an area of 75 hectares.
