The airbase in Oldenburg has an eventful history: from 1933 to 2008 the site was used for military purposes. Today, the use of this land is determined solely by sunlight – and exclusively peaceful purposes: GP JOULE has built a PV plant here that supplies electricity to some 6,000 households. The company has also been responsible for the entire technical and commercial management of the Solarpark Ammerland since it was commissioned in autumn 2011.
Everything from a single source: solar park project planning and PV plant construction including operational management
Thanks to its innovative technology made in Germany, Solarpark Ammerland can be operated economically even in a less sun-drenched region such as Oldenburg. On a surface area of 57 hectares we installed a total of some 196,000 so-called thin-film modules that were developed and manufactured by Q-Cells in Bitterfeld. The inverters were produced and supplied by the Metzingen-based company REFUsol. With this technology (CIGS thin-film modules Q.SMART), the plant is the largest of its kind in the world. The solar power plant produces 20 million kilowatt hours of climate-neutral energy per year, saving 11,800 tonnes of CO2. The new solar park was planned and constructed within a very short space of time: Planning began in March 2011 and was already completed in June. The subsequent construction and installation of the technology was realised by GP JOULE within four months.
Sustainably upgrading electricity with renewable energy
On the one hand, the launch of the photovoltaic plant marked an important milestone for Lower Saxony's energy industry in seeking to achieve a climate-neutral energy supply. At the same time, the solar park is part of one of the largest conversion projects in the region. After 75 years of use for military purposes, the property's green spaces were initially used for agriculture. Before the solar park was built, specialised companies examined the site extensively for bombs and munitions. Fortunately, no critical material was found.
The investor for the Ammerland solar park was the bank indipendant investment company Aquila Capital. The company specialises in alternative and non-traditional investments.
Ove Petersen
CEO and co-founder of GP JOULE
“With Solarpark Ammerland we are revitalising fallow land and taking a major step forward towards a sustainable power supply from renewable energy sources for the state of Lower Saxony. The project clearly illustrates that there are forward-looking, efficient and highly economical utilisation concepts that can be realised quickly and without great bureaucratic effort – especially in converted spaces.”
