Bernbrunn solar park

A project of BayWa r.e.

Southwest of the Gundelsheim district of Bernbrunn on parcels of land in the Höchstberg district, the Bernbrunn solar park is being built on an area of approx. 30 hectares. With an output of 41.3 MWp, it can generate an amount of electricity of approx. 47 million kilowatt hours. This corresponds to the average annual consumption of about 12,660 average households in Germany (with approx. 3,213 kilowatt hours).

What ist planned?

Graphic
  • Part of the city of Gundelsheim; Location between Tiefenbach, Höchstberg and Bernbrunn

  • District: Höchstberg

    Altitude above sea level: ~ 263 m

  • Currently in agricultural use. Area is agricultural priority land.

  • Google Maps Link

Copyright Bild Flächenkulisse: BVV - geodaten.bayern.de, Maxar, Microsoft

Schedule & project progress

22.06.2022

The municipal council of the city of Gundelsheim gives the "go-ahead" for the land-use plan procedure and decides on the decision to set up the project in a public meeting.

Mid 2022 - end of 2023

We have started the approval phase and are concretizing our planning. To this end, investigations are carried out into flora and fauna, monuments and other.

28.09.2022

An information event for residents provides an opportunity to find out about various topics related to the planned project. In discussions, our experts provide detailed information about the status of planning, the technology and nature and species conservation.

19.10.2022

The municipal council of the city of Gundelsheim decides on early participation, thus enabling the public and the authorities to comment on the general goals and purposes of the planning at an early stage. This allows important suggestions and interests to be incorporated into further planning and be taken into account accordingly.

January 2023

The comments from the early participation of the public and the authorities will be included in the Planning documents incorporated.

20.09.2023

In a public meeting, the municipal council of the city of Gundelsheim adopts the development plan "Solar Park Bernbrunn" as a statute. We are thus successfully completing the land-use plan procedure.

06.11.2024

The Heilbronn District Office issues the building permit for the Bernbrunn solar park.

2026

Expected start of construction

2027

Planned commissioning

The following measures are planned for the Bernbrunn solar park to protect and promote biodiversity as well as compensatory measures:

  • The grassland sown in the project area will be extensively cultivated in order to develop a species-rich fertile meadow. For this purpose, mowing is carried out once or twice a year, without the use of mulch mowers, fertilisers or pesticide

  • This sustainable cultivation without fertilisation and without the use of pesticides protects the soil and groundwater. The low-disturbance habitat promotes the spread of insects, reptiles, bird and plant species. A distance of about 30 meters is maintained from the edges of the forest in the north and southwest.

  • In the north of the solar park, a fruit tree meadow with apple, pear, sweet cherry and walnut trees will be planted.

  • In addition, a total of 25 nesting boxes for various bird species, such as cave breeders, semi-cave breeders, niche breeders, will be installed in the solar park. This will significantly improve the range of breeding opportunities in the solar park.

In order to protect the insects living in the planning area and the wider surrounding environment, the use of animal-friendly lighting fixtures is mandatory. These are installed in such a way that they do not cause large-scale light pollution and could attract animals.

Even before construction began, the first measures to promote biodiversity were implemented in the Bernbrunn solar park:

Voluntary commitment to good planning of ground-mounted PV systems

Our goal is for solar parks to make a positive contribution not only to climate protection, but also to biodiversity. For this reason, in cooperation with the German Association of the New Energy Industry (German: Bundesverband Neue Energiewirtschaft (bne)) and other companies, we have developed and published a catalog of best practice measuers for the planning and implementation of ground-mounted PV systems. We are sure that in this way we will not only create added value for climate and species protection, but also for the community and its citizens.

A comprehensive study by the German Association of the New Energy Industry, which was not carried out until 2025, confirms that modern ground-mounted PV systems offer a structural diversity that is lacking in today's agricultural landscape and promotes biodiversity.

This is what biodiversity looks like in other solar parks that have already been completed:

sheep grazing in Spitalhöfe solar park
death wood piles in solar park Deisenhausen
bird sitting on modules in Barth solar park

Contact

Markus Wanckel
Team Lead Project Development PV Germany
+49 761 383686 261
Write an email