Determination issued for special solar installations on grassland and moorland
Year of issue 2023
Date of issue 2023.06.28
The Bundesnetzagentur has determined the requirements applicable as of 1 July 2023 for special solar installations on grassland and on rewet moorland that had previously been drained and used for agricultural purposes. The Bundesnetzagentur carried out a consultation in spring and received 38 responses from various sectors.
"Special solar installations are an important building block in the effective use of land areas. Our determination provides the necessary legal framework for this. This determination thus lays another piece of the energy transition mosaic,"
said Klaus Müller, President of the Bundesnetzagentur.
Special solar installations on grassland and moorland
Special solar installations within the meaning of this determination are solar installations that are built and operated either on grassland that is being used at the same time for agriculture or on rewet moorland that has been drained and used for agriculture. These special solar installations involve a twofold use of land or a rewetting of climate-relevant moorland at the installation site. This opens up new expansion potential while at the same time taking climate-related aspects into consideration. The rewetting of moorland plays an important role in combating climate change.
Supporting the rewetting of moorland through solar energy auctions
The determination sets out requirements as to the installation sites, building and operating methods, as well as the evidence that has to be provided. The Bundesnetzagentur is playing an active part in the rewetting of moorland through these requirements and is ensuring that the building and operating methods for solar installations preserve the moorland.
Where special solar installations are located on grassland, particular emphasis is placed on the dual-purpose use being in line with state of the art technology. At the commissioning of these special solar installations, the operators must provide the network operator with an expert report confirming that the installations have complied with state of the art technology in their construction. Every three years after the start of operation, an expert report must be provided to the network operator that verifies that the land management use of the grassland is as required.
For special solar installations on rewet moorland, the determination sets out the minimum water levels to be reached through the long-term rewetting of the moorland. It further sets out that the special solar installations can still be constructed on drained land. Measures for rewetting the land must have commenced before the installations are put into operation and the necessary measures must be completed without delay following the start of operation. Here, too, the building and the operation of the special solar installations must comply with state of the art technology.
The determination further sets out that a wet agricultural use of the rewet moorland that is adapted to the location is permissible. Moreover, obligations to provide evidence with respect to the construction and operation and the rewetting have been set out.
The determination is available in German at www.bundesnetzagentur.de/solar1-spezial and has also been published in the Bundesnetzagentur Official Gazette.