Consisting of over 560,000 solar panels and with more to come, the Lieberose solar farm being constructed in Brandenburg has become the world’s second largest solar farm and Germany’s biggest.
Germany-based juwi Group and First Solar Inc are the companies behind the massive installation that has attracted a total investment volume of more than a quarter of a billion Australian dollars.
The solar farm has a power generation capacity 53 megawatts and occupies an area of land larger than 210 soccer fields. By the time construction is completed at the end of this year, the Lieberose plant will have approximately 700,000 thin film solar panels.
The plant has enough power generation capacity to meet the electricity needs of about 15,000 households and will help save about 35,000 tons of carbon dioxide emssions per year, compared to coal fired generation.
Germany is a global leader in solar power, largely due to the country’s generous feed in tariff program that pays a premium rate on all electricity produced by solar farms and home solar power systems. Germany is the world’s top solar panel installer, accounting for almost half of the market in 2007.
In Australia and with the exception of the ACT, feed in tariff programs are currently all based on a net model, meaning only surplus electricity attracts the premium rate. The system is fractured, with each state having its own program, or none at all.
Greens’ Senator Christine Milne tabled amendments to the recently passed Renewable Energy Target bill that would have seen a gross, uniform national feed in tariff program for Australia, but those amendments were voted down by the Government and Coalition.
