The almost permanent call by the Greens to accelerate the expansion of renewable energies is increasingly being met with open opposition from nature conservationists in Bavaria. The latest example is the motion by the Greens in the state parliament, according to which the state government should now also release landscape protection areas for the construction of open-space photovoltaic systems, provided that nature conservation does not oppose this. The State Association for Bird Protection (LBV) goes too far. He is vehemently opposed to the fact that the construction of eco-power plants should now also be allowed in the protected areas.
“Landscape protection areas make up almost a third of the country’s area,” says LBV Managing Director Helmut Beran. “So there is enough space for photovoltaic systems outside of these protected areas.” In general, from the LBV’s point of view, photovoltaic systems should be installed where they cause the least damage to nature, i.e. on roofs. “Landscape protection areas are always the last option,” says Beran, who is expressly in favor of expanding photovoltaics. But not at the expense of nature and biodiversity.
In Beran’s view, climate change and species extinction are “a twin crisis”. The preservation of biodiversity and the protection of richly endowed landscapes must therefore play a prominent role in the energy transition.
There are currently 2900 systems
Solar parks, as open-space photovoltaics are commonly called, are booming. At the end of 2020 there were 2210 systems in Bavaria, mostly along motorways and other trunk roads, but also on national railway lines or abandoned and filled landfills and similar conversion areas. The number has increased considerably since then.
According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, 2900 systems were already connected to the grid at the end of 2022. And they keep getting bigger. In the Donaumoos, more precisely in the tiny municipality of Berg im Gau in the district of Neuburg-Schrobenhausen, is the largest in southern Germany. The Schornhof solar park covers an area of 120 hectares, and its expansion to 190 hectares is about to be completed.
When the last phase of construction is connected to the grid, the solar power plant will supply electricity for more than 45,000 households. In total, the 2,900 solar parks in Bavaria produce solar power for 1.6 million households.
The designation of locations and the approval of the open space systems, no matter how huge they are, is a matter for the municipalities. From the point of view of the LBV, this has led to “wild growth” that it no longer wants to accept. He demands an ordering hand.
“As with the expansion of wind power, the regional planning associations should also designate priority areas for open-space photovoltaics,” says Beran, “and adhere to clearly defined guidelines.” Above all, the LBV man counts the exclusion of nature and bird sanctuaries, but also military training areas. Landscape protection areas should only be considered in absolute exceptions.