The Witznitz solar park, located south of Leipzig on Lake Kahnsdorf, was officially opened at the beginning of July 2024. With a total output of 650 MWp in the final expansion stage, the plant is by far the largest solar park in Germany. MKG Göbel made a major contribution to this project.
Two years after the ground-breaking ceremony, the Witznitz Energy Park officially went into operation on 3 July 2024. Project developer MOVE ON Energy GmbH has realised Germany’s largest solar park on a huge area of 500 hectares in the former lignite mining area south of Leipzig. Around 600 MWp are currently connected to the grid, with the remaining 50 MWp to follow in the course of the fourth quarter.
Germany’s largest solar park
“The Witznitz Energy Park is a milestone in the European energy transition and a shining symbol of our determination to shape a sustainable future,” said Steffen Montag, Managing Director of MOVE ON. And a spokesperson for the Saxon Ministry of Energy added with regard to the size of the plant: “This is significant for Saxony’s energy performance. To put it in perspective: Saxony had an increase of around 650 MWp through photovoltaics in 2023.” According to the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, an output of 650 MWp is enough to generate electricity for around 200,000 households.
The plant is located on a former spoil dump and will in future supply one third of the output of the nearby coal-fired power plant. In this way, the Witznitz solar park is also making an important contribution to structural change in the former coal-mining region.
Construction began in June 2022. The site covers 500 hectares, the equivalent of around 700 football fields. For the rapid realisation of a project on this scale, the right substructure is a decisive factor. The 1.1 million solar modules of the Witznitz energy park were installed using the GMS® MAX mounting system from MKG Göbel. Here, GMS® MAX was able to demonstrate its advantages: the ability to adapt to large scales, extremely efficient construction, soil-friendly installation – and, above all, unrivalled short installation times thanks to the innovative ASSEMBLY 2.0 process.
MKG Göbel built part of the system (Area 1 with approx. 158 MWp) itself from April to October 2023. For the other areas, the GMS® MAX system was licensed and the respective partners were trained. MKG Göbel was responsible for construction management and coordination with other trades in the overall project. The energy park comprises a total of 7,500 module tables, 3,500 inverters and two transformer stations. The electricity is fed into the 50 Hertz grid directly at the park via 380-kilovolt high-voltage lines.
Successful conclusion drawn
The Witznitz megapark project has impressively demonstrated how solar parks of any size can be realised – with excellent workmanship and in an extremely short time (here: 10 months pure construction time, excluding DC cabling). Decisive factors are a carefully planned approach and the best mounting system. Marco Göbel summarises how his company remembers this project, the largest in the company’s history to date: “We at MKG Göbel are terribly proud to have realised this ground-breaking project together with MOVE ON. We really have set a milestone in the energy revolution. Our GMS® MAX assembly system with the extremely fast ASSEMBLY 2.0 process played a decisive role in this — a clear recommendation for further projects of any size.”
Project data
- Total ca. 650 MWp / ca. 1,100,000 modules
- Built by MKG Göbel: Areal 1 with ca. 158 MWp
- System: GMS® MAX II-3V with ASSEMBLY 2.0
- April – October 2023
- Client: MOVE ON Energy GmbH