PV power plant Ilbesheim
The project
Since 2012, the Ilbesheim solar park has been located on a former farmland in the Donnersberg district in Rhineland-Palatinate. Every year, more than 43,000 square meters of module surface convert the sun's energy into 6.7 million KWh of climate-friendly electricity. This is succient to supply 2,200 households and, additionally, avoids the emission of almost 4,000 tons of CO2 per year. However, it is not only through the generation of sustainable energy that the project contributes to environmental protection. This project is also an excellent example for the contribution that free-field solar parks make to species conservation.
With this project, we do not only generate clean electricity, but also give room back to nature in which it can develop extensively.
Biodiversity in the solar park
The Ilbesheim solar park shows the species abundance that can develop on a previous intensively used agricultural area despite – or precisely because of – the construction of solar modules. If a certain minimum distance is planned between the rows of modules, solar parks quickly develop into oases of biodiversity. This applies to grasses and plants as well as to wildlife. The results of various scientific studies confirm this.
In Ilbesheim, a wide variety of meadow herbs and grass species quickly settled, as did a colorful and diverse insect and bird life. In particular, the elimination of fertilizers and pesticides, as well as the infrequent mowing since the construction of the solar park, favored the regained richness in species.