Biodiversity, agriculture and free-range hens in the PV park

Agri-PV – the combination of photovoltaic systems and agriculture – is rapidly gaining popularity. At our two PV parks in Tützpatz and Juliusburg-Krukow, we demonstrate that we care deeply about both the issue of suitable land and the topic of biodiversity.

November 2025

Up to 15,000 laying hens roam around Tützpatz between elevated solar modules. They are clearly comfortable, as they have a free choice between sunny spots, shade and stables. In two other sections of the park, which comprises a total of 146,000 solar modules, arable farming is practised, probably with a four-part crop rotation of peas, oats, wheat and barley. In addition to eggs and grain, we harvest electricity on the 130 football field-sized area: we have a nominal output of 76 MWp and supply PASM Power and Air Condition Solution Management, a subsidiary of Telekom. This can supply approximately 4,600 mobile phone sites with the green electricity produced.

We are constructing a large-scale battery storage facility very close to Tützpatz, probably in Breesen at the Friedrichsruh substation. It will be operated to support the grid, has a capacity of around 50 MW and, according to our plans, is scheduled to go into operation in 2027.

 

Juliusburg-Krukow Biodiversity PV Park

Our biodiversity PV park in Juliusburg and Krukow in Schleswig-Holstein is all about protecting countless small and large animals and preserving the diversity of the ecosystem.

First, the facts about electricity: Vattenfall is building a biodiversity PV park with an installed capacity of around 80 MWp on a total area of 74 hectares. In purely mathematical terms, this will enable more than 30,000 households to be supplied with emission-free electricity and save approximately 67,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.

And now to the biological facts: A particular focus of the project is on promoting biodiversity, which will go far beyond the minimum legal requirements. Vattenfall has therefore commissioned Game Conservancy Deutschland e.V. to provide biological support for the project and collect extensive data.

 

Birds and bats

  • Over the past two years, territory mapping and six inspections have been carried out. So far, a total of 55 bird species have been identified and 28 bird species with breeding territories have been mapped. We saw partridges, grey herons, buzzards, skylarks, red-backed shrikes and barn owls there.
  • To track down bats, we used listening boxes, which are currently being evaluated with the help of AI.

Mammals

  • To detect mammals, we set up 20 wildlife cameras in the project area. These cameras captured images of roe deer, wild boar, fallow deer, hares, foxes and other mammals. The detailed evaluation is still ongoing.

Insects

  • In order to record the diversity of insects in the subplots, barber traps and air electors were set up in addition to visual observations and net catches. The evaluation of insect and spider species is also still ongoing.

Life in the soil

  • Soil life was systematically examined at 69 locations on the study areas using soil sample drills. Ecological DNA analysis (eDNA) was then used to determine the microbiome, i.e. the totality of all microorganisms in the soil.
  • The results will be used to detect and interpret possible changes in soil life in the coming years.
  • The good news is that the extensification of land use through the open-space PV system could bring about a positive change in the soil microbiome.

After evaluating all the investigations, we draw up a catalogue of measures and a maintenance concept for the plant area. Our aim is to protect the existing biodiversity as well as rare and endangered species and, if possible, to increase the genetic diversity.

 

Potential of agri-PV

Although only around 400 megawatts of Germany's total installed PV capacity of 100,000 megawatts has been implemented as agri-PV to date, the potential for ‘double harvesting’[1] is enormous. Studies by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) in Freiburg estimate that agricultural land offers a potential of up to 500,000 megawatts of peak solar power.[2]

 

Do you have any questions about our PV parks? Feel free to contact us!

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[1] https://www.klimareporter.de/landwirtschaft/doppelte-ernte-auf-dem-acker

[2] https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/de/presse-und-medien/presseinformationen/2025/fraunhofer-ise-ausgruendung-flaechenpotenzial-fuer-agri-photovoltaik-in-deutschland-uebertrifft-ausbauziele-fuer-klimaschutz.html