Solar park Malching

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Making green energy

To start with, feelings ran high in the village of Malching which is part of Maisach: people were worried about whether a solar plant, which covered 16.4 hectares and produced enough electricity to supply around 1,380 three-person households, would not be a threat to the natural landscape. There was a very open debate at a specially convened citizen’s meeting on this topic and other concerns.

Many fears were allayed by this meeting and, in the end, the municipal council even reached a unanimous decision to build the plant. The Malching solar power plant has been operational since July 2009, following a construction period of a mere two months. With its 65,280 modules, it cuts CO2 emission by almost 3,079 tons a year. The plant’s huge contribution to climate protection is, however, not its only advantage.

The land, which was formerly used intensively for farming, is no longer treated with fertilisers and pesticides which seep into the ground. Building the plant was therefore an  active contribution to protecting the environment and the groundwater as well. This is all the more important as the power plant location belongs to the water well zone of Maisach’s waterworks. The site was also ecologically enhanced by Phoenix Solar’s extensive greening concept. Planting hedges has created a new habitat for wild animals on the formerly bare landscape and prevents erosion from wind and flooding from heavy rainfall.

Once again Phoenix Solar has delivered proof of its skill in landscape architecture, alongside its technical competence. What pleases Mayor Hans Seidl most is that the plant has been even more enthusiastically received by the local people because of the greening concept. "The plant blends so well into the landscape that virtually no one thinks anymore about the resistance put up at the time." Given the many positive effects, the municipality is even considering building more solar plants.

 * Source: The evolution of carbon dioxide emissions within the German power mixture 1990-2008: 0.575 tons CO2 saved per MWh (Umweltbundesamt FG I 2.5., Status March 2010)
** Source: Average power consumption of a family: 4,000 kWh (Verivox, Status 2010)