Denmark's Municipality of Vordingborg is to get a solar park with capacity to generate 170,000 MWh annually from 2022 onwards. Solar power project developer Better Energy has described the project as a 'new type' since it will be built on lowlands with carbon rich soil. This piece of land in Køng Mose will be taken out of agricultural production and restored to wetlands.
The pilot project, said Better Energy, will demonstrate how future solar parks can be built on restored wetlands, ensuring CO2 reduction at the same time.
"The new solar park will be built on very low-lying terrain that has been artificially drained. In the future, the land will be re-wetted and restored to its original wetland state. Installations for wetlands require a whole range of new technical features, but it is important to demonstrate that this is possible," explained Better Energy CEO Rasmus Lildholdt Kjær. "Hopefully, our experiences will pave the way for many other solar parks to be built on restored wetlands."
According to current laws, Denmark has in place taxes that do not support restoration of wetlands. However, Danish government's climate partnership report on food and agriculture believes if 47,700 hectares of lowlands with carbon rich soil is restored to wetlands, it can lead to a potential reduction of 1.4 million tons of CO2 by 2030.
"Solar parks are important elements in the local transition to renewable energy, and the restoration of wetlands has been a major factor in the municipality's prioritisation of this area for a solar park," said Mayor of Vordingborg Municipality, Mikael Smed.
Last year an Oregon State University study found solar PV panels and agriculture complement each other identifying croplands, grasslands and wetlands as the best locations to promote agrivoltaics (see Farmlands Most Productive For Solar Panels, Claims Study).