Solar Park

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The Brandenburg-Briest military airport opened in 1914. Is located 6.5 km northwest of Brandenburg center and southeast of Briest. During the Cold War it was used as a military base for experiments and exercises from various countries.¹ After the airfield closed, in 2011 the German government commissioned a project to develop future uses for the airfield. The project included the creation of a solar panel park which was completed in Phase one and was considered the biggest park in Europe at the time of its completion. Ownership passed to Luxcara, a private company that specializes in the development and management of alternative energy sources.
        The closing of an airport is commonly connected with regenerational projects by revitalizing the properties with parks or housing buildings. In the case of Brandenburg-Briest’s airport, the placement of the solar panels takes into account the orientation of the existing runways to minimize the invasion of the site’s existing environmental morphology.
        The transformation required minimum alteration of the existing runways and infrastructure. The solar panels were placed on the runways using their orientation to create the required grid. The installation of solar panels included site preparation for the infrastructure including tree removal and roadways for the equipment transportation along the panels. Lines and PVC pipes were then installed into the ground in rows or by following the grid of the panels that later need to be placed underground to support the panels.² The completion of the project helped the start of a series of similar projects in the region of Brandenburg and beyond as part of an effort from the German government to move towards alternative energy resources.

Image source: “Q CELLS for Your Solar Project | Q CELLS,” n.d. https://www.q-cells.co.uk/consumer/power-plants-for-project-developers/qcells-for-your-solar-project.html.