The agri-solar park is being built on two areas totaling 13.2 hectares along Hartmannsbrook Street in Amelsbüren and is being constructed by the photovoltaic company EcotecWorld. With an output of 4,875 kWp, the photovoltaic system will generate around 5.75 gigawatt hours of green electricity per year. The power will be supplied directly to Fraunhofer FFB, which is located on the opposite side of the canal in the Hansa Business Park. The system will be mounted close to the ground and designed as a so-called 2P tracking photovoltaic installation. Sensors ensure that the solar modules are optimally aligned with the sun at all times of the day, maximizing solar yield. The construction covers only about 12.7 percent of the agricultural area; the remaining land will continue to be used for growing crops such as grain, rapeseed, and field beans.

A pioneering project

The agri-solar park is the first of its kind in Münster, initiated by farmer and landowner Heinz-Georg Hartmann. “Producing food while taking responsibility for the local energy transition – agri-photovoltaics enables agriculture to achieve both, making the most efficient use of available land,” explains operations manager and young farmer Julian Hartmann. Especially in summer, the solar modules can also help protect crops from excessive sunlight and improve the microclimate at ground level.

For the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the cooperation with Stadtwerke Münster to purchase electricity from renewable sources is also unique to date. According to current production technologies, manufacturing one kilowatt-hour of battery cell capacity requires around 20 to 40 kilowatt-hours of energy. In particular, electrode production and cell formation are associated with a high electricity demand.

“In the FFB PreFab, we therefore rely on a resource-efficient energy concept that includes self-generated electricity from a rooftop PV system, a combined heat pump, and energy forecasting to optimize the energy management of battery cell production,” says Maik Kleinspohn from the Energy Technology Group at the Fraunhofer Research Facility for Battery Cell Production FFB. “The construction of the agri-PV system and the future use of locally generated green electricity are further important steps toward a sustainable and future-proof energy supply for our battery research facility.”