The next solar field is in sight - in the immediate vicinity of the town of Weilheim

Created: 04/30/2022, 16:00

By: Magnus Reitinger

In the area marked in red on the state road between Tankenrain and Zellsee, a 35,000 square meter solar field could be created - if the city council agrees.

"The best thing would be wind turbines" © bayernatlas

A new solar field of around three and a half hectares is to be built between Weilheim and Zellsee.

Weilheim's building committee is impressed by the plans - which could bring the investor one million euros in sales per year, as it was said at the meeting.

City council will make a decision next week.

Weilheim

– Who is behind the plans remained in the dark when the building committee of the Weilheim city council discussed “a request for the possibility of building a solar field” between Tankenrain and Zellsee in its most recent meeting.

But one thing is certain: the potential investor has opened the door to the committee.

The agenda of the meeting - on which there were two other smaller applications relating to "solar" - shows "that the applicants have recognized the signs of the times", stated BfW representative Rupert Pentenrieder.

And added: "We as decision-makers should make our contribution."

The building committee has already done this by unanimously approving the project and recommending that the city council initiate the necessary changes to the land use plan and the preparation of a development plan.

The envisaged property, previously used for agriculture, is located outside, directly on the Weilheim-Wessobrunn state road, just before the first access road to Lichtenau.

It is around 35,000 square meters in size. According to the planning application, a photovoltaic system with an output of up to six megawatts is to be installed there.

Investor could achieve one million euros per year in sales

With this, the investor could achieve annual sales of around one million euros, calculated Karl-Heinz Grehl (Greens), the energy officer of the city council: "That also brings trade tax." But not only because of that, but above all for ecological and energy policy reasons the Greens representative was happy, "when the first larger solar fields are now being applied for".

The project is "ecologically and economically sensible" and should be implemented quickly, said Grehl - and emphasized that the area was "not finally lost for agriculture".

A solar field is "a temporary use for about 20 years".

The committee agreed that a hedge had to be planted towards the street "as compensation".

In addition, the grassland under the PV elements – which will certainly be fenced off – should be preserved as far as possible.

Gerd Ratter (ÖDP) suggested that the operator should not only grow grass and let sheep graze under the modules, but also "realize a combination of agriculture and solar", a so-called "agri-PV system".

That was ultimately a "matter of negotiation," according to the city building office.

In general, a solar field can be planned in such a way that "animal husbandry in the broadest sense is possible".

Environmental protection always collides with environmental protection

Whatever the planning turns out to be in detail: In any case, there will be "room for small animals" and "something ecologically sensible" will be created, according to Stefan Emeis (Greens), the city council's environmental and climate officer.

As far as the benefits for the energy transition are concerned, he made the following ranking: Wind turbines are best because they save space and are profitable.

"After that comes photovoltaics," says Emeis - while with biomass, much more space is needed to achieve a comparable yield.

3. Mayor Alfred Honisch (Greens), chairing the meeting, recalled the problems that currently exist with another solar field project, namely with the planning of the municipal utilities in Unterhausen.

According to an expert report presented by the Bund Naturschutz, there are protected biotopes on the designated area - which now needs to be examined more closely (we reported).

In order to avoid a surprise later, the investor of the project near Tankenrain should best evaluate his area beforehand, according to Honisch.

For this area, the city building office has "no knowledge of landscape protection or similar regulations".

Weilheim-Penzberg newsletter: Everything from your region!

Our Weilheim-Penzberg newsletter regularly informs you about all the important stories from the Weilheim and Penzberg region.