Agri-PV expansion is progressing: ground-breaking ceremony for the next solar field for dual utilisation of grassland and farmland in Mining, Upper Austria
The expansion offensive for solar power continues: Together with Markus Achleitner, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Energie AG, and Josef Zechmeister, Mayor of Mining, another flagship project has been launched that focuses on agriculture as well as nature and climate protection.
"Solar energy is a central component of regional and sustainable energy generation. With Sonnenfeld Mining - currently the largest agri-PV plant in Upper Austria - we as Energie AG, together with EWS from Munderfing, are making an important contribution to the transformation of the energy supply and to strengthening Upper Austria as a business location," says Energie AG CEO Leonhard Schitter.
"Upper Austria is travelling at top speed in the implementation of the energy transition. Energie AG Oberösterreich, the state energy supplier, is an important partner and key pacesetter in the transition to renewable energies. Today's project in Mining proves this once again: the largest agri-PV plant for grassland and farmland in Upper Austria is currently being built here. Almost 5,000 households will be supplied with energy in the future, while 80 per cent of the land can still be used for food production. People, the environment and the climate will benefit equally from the new agri-PV plant," emphasised Markus Achleitner, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Energie AG, at the ground-breaking ceremony.
Clean energy and sustainable food production
Solar energy from the field is an innovative solution for making double use of arable and grassland areas that are already being cultivated - and in fact without any significant loss of land. It offers clean, regional solar power production with minimal land consumption and continued priority agricultural use on 80 per cent of the total area. In addition to the dual use, the PV system also offers protection against frost and drought damage.
"This special agri-PV concept not only appealed to the two landowners and farming families from the outset, but was also viewed favourably by us on the local council: The agricultural use of the land will continue to be prioritised. Soil is not sealed and the PV components can be replaced or dismantled without leaving any residue after around 30 years. With this project, the municipality of Mining is taking an important step towards the energy transition. We are very much looking forward to the first solar power from Mining from spring 2026," says Josef Zechmeister, Mayor of Mining.
"The intelligent use of land through Agri-PV combines technology, agriculture and climate protection in a particularly efficient way. We use state-of-the-art technology to generate sustainable energy where it is needed - regionally, efficiently and in an environmentally friendly way. Sonnenfeld Mining will be able to generate more than 17 million kWh per year from spring 2026. This corresponds to the annual electricity consumption of more than 4,920 households," says Energie AG CTO Alexander Kirchner.
"Agri-PV systems such as the EWS Sonnenfeld® can be implemented particularly quickly and cost-effectively for environmentally friendly solar power generation, provide additional security for farms and preserve species-rich soils. During development, it was also important to us to maximise electricity yields. We achieve this through tracking and controllable sun catchers, which provide an additional yield of approx. 20 per cent and deliver optimum electricity generation beyond the midday peaks, i.e. also in the early morning and evening hours," says Joachim Payr, Managing Partner of EWS.
Key data EWS Sonnenfeld Mining
- Annual electricity production: 17.2 million kWh on only 2 per cent of the area; corresponds to household electricity for more than 4.920 households
- Planning: EWS Consulting GmbH
- Implementation: EWS EPC GbmH
- CO2 savings in 30 years: 151,000 tonnes
- Planned commissioning: spring 2026
Further information on EWS Sonnenfeld Mining and our EWS Sonnenfeld® projects.
Read our article on the crowdinvesting project for EWS Sonnenfeld Mining, for which we were able to successfully reach the funding target of €300,000 in a very short time and with a high level of regional participation.
