solar park Bellingwolde – Westerwolde

Why this solar park?

The Regional Energy Strategy for Groningen aims to generate at least 5.7 TWh of renewable energy by 2030. Once fully completed, Solar Park Bellingwolde – Westerwolde will make a significant contribution toward achieving this goal.

The location of the solar park

The planned site is located between the Veendijk and the German border in Bellingwolde, near the De Lethe neighborhood. During the development process, it became clear that an old border treaty from 1824 had to be taken into account. To proceed with the development of Solar Park Bellingwolde, approval from the district of Emsland was required. This approval has since been granted.

How can local residents participate?

Landowner Kor Werkman, a well-known member of the local community, is actively involved in the development. Novar and Kor Werkman aim to create a socially supported solar park that benefits everyone in the area. To achieve this, a local advisory group has been established, and collaboration has been initiated with the local energy cooperative De Lethe Stroomt.

To support the local community, 1 MWp of installed capacity will be made available to the energy cooperative Lethe Stroomt. The revenue generated from this electricity will be used to fund local initiatives, ensuring that the region directly benefits from the production of renewable energy.

What added value does the solar park offer?

Solar Park Bellingwolde has been designed with great attention to the surrounding environment and biodiversity. The final design was developed in collaboration with a local advisory group, the municipality of Westerwolde, and the province of Groningen.

Specific measures have been taken to preserve the landscape and enhance nature, including:

• 10 hectares for landscape integration – The area will be planted with native and evergreen shrubs to help the solar park blend into the landscape, while maintaining the openness of the surroundings.
• Preservation of the ditch pattern – The characteristic water structures will be retained, safeguarding the identity of the local landscape.
• Nature-friendly design – Vegetation will be added to the roofs and walls of the transformer stations and containers within the park.
• Wildlife-friendly fencing – A specially designed fence will prevent deer from getting trapped and will allow small mammals to move freely underneath.

Solar Park Bellingwolde is also part of a multi-year ecological study conducted in collaboration with the University of Groningen (RUG) on the impact of solar parks on nature. The results of this research will provide valuable insights into how to better balance renewable energy generation with biodiversity.

Battery

To make the electricity grid smarter in supplying renewable energy, Novar plans to install a battery at Solar Park Bellingwolde. We also refer to this battery as an Energy Storage System (ESS).

The battery can help reduce the loss of generated electricity, compensate for deviations between predicted and actual power generation on a national level, and contribute locally to resolving grid congestion. The more renewable energy that can be generated, stored, and used, the lower the CO₂ emissions will be.