Solar developer Perigus Energy has built what it calls a wildlife park PV system at the Weiherhof estate in Sötern, Saarland, combining fallow deer farming with solar power generation on the same land. On a 6.9-hectare section of the estate's deer enclosure, the installers have mounted the modules at a height of 1.60 to 1.80 metres, high enough for the stags to pass underneath without their heads or antlers touching the panels.
Animal welfare in focus
Planning for the wildlife park PV system focused on protecting the local runinants, while treating the land with care and, correspondingly, securing the site and infrastructure. The planners worked closely with the farmer throughout the nine-month construction phase to maintain a happy home for the herd, and the fallow deer grazed in other areas within the estate during the build.
The modules now generate electricity and also provide the deer with shade and shelter during heat, strong sunlight or poor weather, while the pasture beneath the panels benefits too, as partial shading can help stabilise yields during dry summer periods. A specialised wildlife protection fence and tailored safety concepts for cable routing and inverters have also been installed to suit the demands of livestock farming.
Deer free to roam
Early results since construction was completed at the end of July suggest the concept is working, with the herd of around 150 animals having returned to graze across the wildlife park PV site. "Initial experience has been extremely positive. The animals have taken well to the reconfigured areas and move naturally beneath and between the rows of modules," says Wolfgang Welter, owner and operator of the Weiherhof. "We will continue to monitor developments closely and document the animals' behaviour on an ongoing basis."
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A concept that works in practice
Perigus Energy says the operational experience will help refine the concept for further wildlife park PV projects. "From the outset, our priority was to consider the needs of the animals alongside the requirements of efficient and sustainable energy generation," says Annemarie Röbl, head of project management at Perigus Energy. "We are pleased that the wildlife park PV system has been successfully connected to the grid on schedule, that the animals are already using the areas again and that the concept is working in practice."
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Local community shares in the returns
The plant has a total capacity of 8.3 MW and is expected to generate around 9.5 GWh of clean solar power each year. The benefits extend beyond the Weiherhof operator to the host municipality of Nohfelden, which includes Sötern. Under a participation agreement concluded between Perigus Energy and Nohfelden on the basis of Section 6 of the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), 0.2 euro cents per kilowatt-hour generated flows into the municipal budget. The project is one of a small but growing number of sites in Germany combining livestock farming with solar power generation. (su)
