Built the first vertically placed solar panels in the Netherlands in a meadow at Stal Den Heuvel in Culemborg Vrijstad Energie. The reason for the project was a roof that had to be cleaned up because of the presence of asbestos. Farmers are obliged to have remediated all asbestos roofs of stables before 2024.

Gijs de Raad van Stal Den Heuvel came into contact with energy corporation Vrijstad Energie for the installation of solar panels on his roof. This leads to more than just a solar roof, but also to a ground-based solar park that develops with energy. Members of the energy cooperative were able to develop in the project. Annual installation 740,000 kWh of output, which consists of 958 vertical solar panels on the ground and 1,065 solar panels on the roof.

Advantages of vertical placements

The combination of solar panels on the roof of the stables and on agricultural land provides an important advantage, namely that the generated power is distributed over the day. The vertical solar panels form an east-west arrangement and are placed 6 to 8 meters apart. As a result, they are not in each other’s shadow and there is sufficient space between them for agricultural vehicles. The grazing of cows and the growing of crops can continue. In the case of Stal Den Heuvel, partridges also graze around, which can make use of half a hectare furnished with herbs and crops.

Free City Energy

Vrijstad Energie is an initiative of Culemborgers who aim to make the city energy neutral, with energy savings and the use of sustainable energy. For the financing of the project, Vrijstad Energie made use of the Refonds, which was realized at the end of 2021 by Energie Samen and SVn with Triodos Bank, Rabobank and ASN Groenprojecten.

Sources:
solar magazine, Free City Energy