Southern German state of Baden-Wurttemberg has expanded its annual installation limit for large scale solar PV capacity to 500 MW, up from 100 MW previous restriction in a move that it says will enable more projects from the state to participate in Bundesnetzagentur auctions for disadvantaged areas.
Expansion of renewable energies will help it achieve climate protection goals and promote the switch to renewable energy sources, according to the Conservatives/Green Party coalition ruled state.
"We can only achieve our climate protection goals and free ourselves from our dependence on Russia for fossil energy supplies if more open-space photovoltaic systems are built," said Secretary of State for Energy Andre Baumann.
The state government stressed that solar parks are much more efficient and contribute to protecting nature when integrated with agricultural practices since 'electricity yield per hectare is around 40 times higher with a solar park than with high-performance biogas corn fields'. The state is currently collaborating with Fraunhofer ISE for agrivoltaic research (see Europe PV News Snippets).
"The right answer for more climate protection and security of supply is the expansion of renewable energies," said the state's Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann from the Green Party. "More areas for renewables are the basis for the expansion. The significant increase in the surcharge limit for ground-mounted PV is the next major building block that the task force to accelerate the expansion of renewable energies has set in motion."
Baden Württemberg is Germany's first state where a rule for mandatory solar on new residential building went into effect on May 1, 2022, after such obligation for commercial buildings already started beginning of the year.