A new 40-megawatt solar power plant is now online near Leipzig, in a region of Germany that already is home to three of the world’s biggest solar parks. Once out of its transitional phase, in which it functions as a 24-megawatt plant, the Waldpolenz Solar Park will be the world’s largest solar facility, equipped with 550,000 thin-film solar collecting modules. The park will recoup all the power used in its construction after a year of operation. Elsewhere in Germany — which a BP report called the “world’s greenest country” for reducing oil, gas, and coal use by 5.6 percent in 2007 — a new law compels builders of new homes and renovators to install a square meter of solar paneling for every 20 square meters of surface area. While the cost to homeowners may reach €5,000 ($7,795), the town’s mayor says the savings from the use of solar power should match the expenditure after about 15 years.
World’s Largest Solar Facility Begins Operation in Germany
More From E360
-
ANALYSIS
Recycling Nuclear Waste: A Win-Win or a Dangerous Gamble?
-
CONFLICT
In War-Torn Sudan, a Gold Mining Boom Takes a Human Toll
-
Opinion
With NOAA Cuts, a Proud Legacy and Vital Science Are at Risk
-
Biodiversity
Imperiled in the Wild, Many Plants May Survive Only in Gardens
-
Climate
Can Toxic Mining Waste Help Remove CO2 from the Atmosphere?
-
INTERVIEW
Saving U.S. Climate and Environmental Data Before It Goes Away
-
Biodiversity
A Craze for Tiny Plants Is Driving a Poaching Crisis in South Africa
-
INTERVIEW
Bill McKibben on Climate Activism in the Age of Trump 2.0
-
Climate
How Climate Change Puts the Safety of Drinking Water at Risk
-
Energy
‘Green Grab’: Solar and Wind Boom Sparks Conflicts on Land Use
-
INTERVIEW
Reciprocity: Rethinking Our Relationship with the Natural World
-
Oceans
With Sea Ice Melting, Killer Whales Are Moving Into the Arctic