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GOLDBECK SOLAR and ImWind are jointly building the 5 MWp Gaweinstal solar park, which will not only generate energy highly efficiently, but will also offer a wide range of added value to local agriculture. This powerful example of pioneering agrivoltaics is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2024.
With a planned output of up to 5 MWp, the comprehensive Gaweinstal PV project will enable annual CO2 savings equivalent to the emissions of around 1,300 cars. The local company dm drogerie markt has already secured the entire electricity production for the next 15 years as part of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). The plant, which follows the path of the sun and thus maximizes energy production, covers the electricity consumption of around 70 stores in Austria.
The pioneering solar park Gaweinstal comprises a total of 8,200 tracker PV modules from the manufacturer Trina, which effectively capture sunlight from dawn to dusk. By “moving with the sun”, the project achieves a yield increase of up to 20 percent with this module technology. However, the agility of the tracker modules reveals their advantages not only in terms of electricity generation, but also in their potential to improve the microclimate and reduce water evaporation, among other things. In cultivation mode, the PV elements can be aligned almost vertically, allowing the land to be used almost entirely for agricultural purposes.
The concept, which is specifically geared towards Agri-PV, enables local farmers to grow roughage for their livestock. As this previously required additional purchases from the Waldviertel, the project also reduces transport routes in addition to environmentally friendly energy generation and local agricultural use.
“With the Agri-PV Park in Gaweinstal, we are sending out a strong signal for the combination of sustainable energy generation and agricultural use. This project shows how innovative technologies can offer economic and ecological benefits at the same time,” says Tobias Schüssler, COO of GOLDBECK SOLAR. “We are proud to be implementing our third solar project with ImWind and to be jointly expanding our expertise in the field of Agri-PV.”
With more than 23 years of experience in the solar market, GOLDBECK SOLAR has also been present in Austria since 2023. After two successful projects with ImWind, the Agri-PV plant currently under construction in Gaweinstal represents another important milestone in the collaboration. The tracker technology reveals its universal advantages and sustainable effects – specifically in the Gaweinstal project as well as for GOLDBECK SOLAR’s Agri-PV expertise as a whole.
dm drogerie markt GmbH has recognized the high potential of the system and secured the solar power with a PPA contract. The bulk buyer is expected to be able to cover around one sixth of its total electricity requirements over the next 15 years. Together with the economic and ecological benefits directly on site, the Agri-PV Solarpark Gaweinstal is an all-round sustainable success story that will also receive hybrid support from wind power in the future.
