Expansion offensive for solar power: EWS and Energie AG build the largest agri-PV system for grassland and farmland in Upper Austria

The municipality of Pischelsdorf am Engelbach has given the green light for the “EWS Sonnenfeld Pischelsdorf” agri-photovoltaic plant, the first Upper Austrian renewable energy project of its kind. It is thus a pioneer for a large-scale solar power project that enables the dual use of good arable land and grassland. In addition to dual use, the PV system also offers protection against frost and drought damage.

Solar energy from the field is an innovative solution for the dual use of already cultivated arable and grassland areas - and in fact without any significant loss of land. It offers clean, regional solar power production with minimal land consumption and continued priority agricultural use on 80% of the total area. The PV system does not compete with food production and can be dismantled without leaving any residue after around 30 years.

This concept and the fact that two experienced Upper Austrian partners such as EWS from Munderfing and Energie AG Oberösterreich are responsible for implementing the project convinced both landowner and farmer Franz Bachleitner and Mayor Gerhard Höflmaier.

"Alongside electricity generation from hydropower and wind power, photovoltaics is already a key pillar of the renewable energy future.From spring 2025, the Pischelsdorf solar field will be able to generate around 6 million kWh per year.This corresponds to the annual electricity consumption of more than 1,680 households,” says Energie AG CTO Alexander Kirchner. That is more than twice as many households as there are in the entire municipality of Pischelsdorf am Engelbach.

Gerhard Steindl, Managing Partner of EWS: "With the development of the EWS Sonnenfeld®, we have succeeded in achieving maximum space efficiency with minimum land consumption in large-scale solar projects.We are very pleased that we are now implementing the first project of this kind in Upper Austria with Energie AG as our partner and EWS EPC as the general contractor.We are particularly keen to offer citizen participation for the EWS Sonnenfeld Pischelsdorfproject in accordance with the Alternative Financing Act.  A crowdinvesting project for partial financing is being developed for this purpose.This will allow the citizens of Pischelsdorf to contribute to the implementation of the project and benefit financially from a lucrative return on their invested capital." The details will be presented in a few weeks' time.

Commissioning and the feed-in of regionally generated, clean solar power for more than 1,680 households from the EWS Sonnenfeld in Pischelsdorf is planned for spring 2025, after just six months of construction.

Facts & figures about the EWS Sonnenfeld Pischelsdorf

• Output: 4.58 MWp
• Number of modules: 7,514
• Annual electricity production: 5.9 million kWh, equivalent to household electricity for more than 1,680 households
• CO₂ savings in 25 years: 114,260 t
• Planned commissioning: spring 2025

Further projects are planned throughout Austria.

"As an Agri-PV project developer, and with our subsidiary EWS EPC GmbH also as a general contractor for Agri-PV systems, we are very optimistic about the Austria-wide and global roll-out of Agri-PV systems.It is simply a great opportunity to drive forward the necessary solar expansion in an environmentally friendly, rapid and cost-effective manner,” says Joachim Payr from EWS Consulting.

The EWS team is not only a pioneer in the field of Agri-PV and has been driving a stake in the ground for several years with the development of the EWS Sonnenfeld^® in Austria. Two specific systems have already been in operation for almost 2 years.

Many EWS projects are currently in the approval phase. Proven agri-PV plants such as the EWS Sonnenfeld in Bruck an der Leitha and the EWS Sonnenfeld Pellendorf in Lower Austria show that the concept of electricity and food from the farm works perfectly.

We take a holistic view of our Sonnenfeld projects and develop our projects together with municipalities, citizens, farms, landowners and researchers.We are firmly convinced that good sustainable planning and fair cooperation are the best way to achieve the climate targets.

Read the joint press release (in German) from EWS and Energie AG on the press conference for the start of construction on the EWS Sonnenfeld Pischelsdorf on 22.10.2024.