Partner of securenergy, Agricultural cooperatives in Germany rely on power generation with solar modules from Q CELLS

Agricultural cooperatives in Neukönigsaue in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt are increasing the profitability of their farms by leasing their previously unused rooftop space for solar power generation. During recent rooftop renovations, more than 6,600 Q CELLS Q.PEAK G5 solar modules were installed to create a 2 MWp array.

Particularly in economically difficult times, many agricultural businesses are looking for additional sources of income. With the proliferation of warehouses, barns and administrative buildings with large untapped roof space across Germany, a growing number of farms are recognizing a real opportunity to increase their profitability by installing large solar systems – either by leasing their rooftops to operators of solar systems, or by installing a PV system for self-consumption.

Through its Q.PARTNER securenergy GmbH, Q CELLS – a globally successful supplier of total clean energy solutions in the areas of solar systems, solar power plants, energy storage and electricity contracts – has supplied more than 6,600 Q.PEAK-G5 solar modules to deliver a 2 MWp solar array for the agricultural cooperatives in Neukönigsaue. Q CELLS also supplied all inverters for the project. To date, securenergy GmbH has installed solar modules with a total output of more than 60 MW on almost 250 rooftops throughout Germany. The company assumes management of the entire process, from the acquisition of the roof and open spaces, through the planning and construction of the photovoltaic systems, to the turnkey handover to the investor.

“The agricultural cooperatives in Neukönigsaue have been considering leasing the roof areas of their company buildings for climate-friendly solar power production for some time now,” says Felix Polster, project manager of securenergy GmbH. “In the end, we opted for components from Q CELLS for the implementation because here the product quality, module availability, service and the high performance of the modules simply matched perfectly.”

The solar plants will produce around 1,900 MWh per year and thus contribute to the mitigation of 760 tons of CO2 emissions per year. The solar power generated will be fed 100% into the power grid and can thus be used to supply 480 households with an average power consumption of 4,000 kWh. “The various companies have many large roof areas that are ideally suited for the generation of solar power,” added securenergy GmbH managing director Holger Stabernack. “The agricultural cooperatives have decided to lease their roof areas in order to be able to use the yield to finance the necessary roof renovation of their buildings, and at the same time promote the further expansion of solar energy. The clean electricity generated is then fed directly into the grid by various system operators, who benefit from the income through direct marketing. A real win-win situation for all partners involved.”

Many medium-sized companies are interested in a solar system in order to reduce their operating costs through self-generated solar energy or to generate capital in the form of lease income from existing rooftops. Too often, however, these companies, consider the implementation of their project to be too time- and capital-intensive.

Q CELLS has recognized this barrier, and with its new power contracting and facility leasing offers two ways in which companies can benefit from low-cost and clean solar power without having to overcome the initial investment hurdle. In both models, Q CELLS installs a solar system on the roof of the owner or tenant of a building at its own expense and covers the company’s remaining electricity needs with ecological electricity from 100% renewable sources in Germany and Austria. In addition, Q CELLS also offers direct marketing of surplus electricity to companies that rely on the self-consumption of solar power from their system. This means that Q CELLS can offer a cost-effective and sustainable complete solution from a single source for every company’s needs.

Maengyoon Kim, Head of EU Sales of Q CELLS, said: “We are pleased that more and more companies – especially in the agricultural sector – are recognizing the benefits of solar energy for their business, and using it in a targeted manner. Agricultural businesses in particular often have large roof areas that can easily be transformed into efficient profit centers with a suitable solar system from Q CELLS.

“Solar energy is clearly one of the leading solutions for a new energy age,” Kim continued. “Q CELLS offers companies many opportunities to benefit from the advantages of solar energy through plant leasing models and power contracting, even without their own investment costs. I can only recommend to every company to inform themselves in detail about these new ways to a cost-saving solar plant, because they can easily benefit from the free power of the sun!”