Solar field Gänsdorf Honoured within the framework of the German Landscape Architecture Award 2013

The Gänsdorf solar field in the municipality of Straßkirchen (Deggendorf district) covers a total area of approx. 140 ha (1,400,000 m2). Of this, approx. 110 ha is fenced module area, which is divided into 5 generous sub-areas. Around 4 ha of the area is designated as a citizen solar field.

With an output of 54 MWp, the Gänsdorf solar field was one of the largest in the world at the time of commissioning in December 2009.

The construction project was always carried out under the motto "light on land", which stands for careful handling of the soil as a protected resource. To this end, for example, a meadow was sown over a wide area before the start of construction, which made the soil hard-wearing. For this reason, it was also decided to dispense with several kilometres of construction roads. In addition, the investor developed special equipment for transformer transport, which left hardly any damage to the surface due to its wide tyres.

As a greening were predominantly 5-row hedges with admixture of trees 2nd growth class (Heister) planted. Adjacent to the federal highway 8 were planted in coordination with the UNB groves of heisters and high trunks. The areas not planted are used and maintained as extensive grassland. Due to the flat location in the Gäuboden, there is no long-distance effect of the plant.

On the compensation areas (areas for measures for the protection, maintenance and development of nature and landscape), extensively used meadow areas with seigen and wide-area riparian strips along ditches or a near-natural forest mantle with fringe and shallow water pools were developed on about 5 ha.

The fauna has now successfully accepted the areas: A kestrel, for example, regularly stays directly at a surveillance camera at the solar field and can thus be photographed well. At the so-called Storchenbiotop, which was put on in close coordination with the LBV, regularly find themselves Bekassinen and river plovers.

By the in the meantime put on and by the UNB expressly welcomed view hill visitors can convince themselves of the fact that the Eingr?nungsmaßnahmen of the solar field from year to year develop positively. Already now the approx. 20,000 planted woods and approx. 130 hectares of meadows on the former Gäubodenäckern contribute to a significant increase in biodiversity and relief of the previously heavily sprayed and fertilized agricultural land.

The goal of the operator, landowner and planner was always to develop the solar field Gänsdorf to a showcase object. This was achieved not least due to the public relations work carried out in advance and the early participation of public interest groups.

Appreciation Special Award Infrastructure and LandscapeGerman Landscape Architecture Award 2013

Jury verdict: Renewable energy plants are a highly topical issue with increasing importance in the future. It is obvious that location decisions from an ecological, aesthetic and social point of view require planning control. However, the question of location must be excluded here. At the level of the individual object, the Gänsdorf solar field in Lower Bavaria is an example of how landscape architects can broaden the view of land owners and investors in the sense of multifunctionality of the plant and integration into the settlement structure, reduce the encroachment on nature and landscape functions, design sensible compensatory measures and promote acceptance among the population and politicians.
The solar power plant was built on agricultural land near the farm. The network of field paths is maintained, it structures the individual areas and serves the development and recreation. Field hedges and fruit trees as valuable biotope structures enrich the field, the fruit can be used in the future.

Natural balance and landscape are within the solar areas additionally enriched by species-rich meadows, a public lookout point is established. From there, a critical but also quite positive perspective on the piece of "energy landscape" can be taken - an alternative to intensive plant cultivation for fuel or biogas production.

The entire plant is away from localities, has distance to neighboring farms and archaeological cultural monuments. However, in planning terms it ultimately remains at the level of the individual project and the land available for it. This can be seen, for example, in the tracing of the production area contours by screening field hedges. Here, the next necessary step would be to think outwards into the entire field, into the landscape as a multifunctional, networked system and a joint determination of sensible further areas for renewable energies by all actors.