Green ray of hope: Dobl photovoltaic park will supply 6,000 households from 2025

Green ray of hope: Dobl photovoltaic park will supply 6,000 households from 2025

In the Dobl-Zwaring region, near Graz, the groundbreaking ceremony was held for the largest photovoltaic park in Styria. This ambitious project will supply over 6,000 households in the Graz area with clean, green electricity from as early as 2025. Covering an area of ​​around 20 hectares, the PV park will produce more than 22 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, helping to save over 6,300 tons of CO2 per year.

Energie Steiermark, together with its partner Enery, is investing around 13 million euros in the construction of this sustainable energy source. The Styrian state government's goals are ambitious: photovoltaic production in Styria is to be quadrupled by 2030. The new park in Dobl-Zwaring helps to achieve this goal closer. “We connected more than 15,000 new systems last year alone,” explains Christian Purrer, one of the board members of Energie Steiermark. “This corresponds to the output of 18 medium-sized Mur power plants.”

Sustainable land use

A special aspect of this photovoltaic project is the fact that agricultural dual use is carried out. Sheep are kept on the site, which continues to make the land suitable for agriculture while generating renewable energy. Richard König, CEO of Enery Development, emphasizes the importance of collaboration: “We have been developing this project since 2020 and are pleased to be able to start construction together with Energie Steiermark.” This cooperation shows how important it is to find innovative solutions for sustainable energy.

State politicians, including Governor Christopher Drexler, emphasize the importance of such projects for energy independence and climate protection in Styria. “This is an essential step towards achieving our climate and energy goals,” said Drexler. The support of the Dobl-Zwaring community is remarkable: Mayor Waltraud Walch sees the PV park as a groundbreaking project for the future. “It is important that we leave a healthy environment for our children,” she adds.

The coming years will be crucial in creating the necessary infrastructure for the expansion of renewable energies. Energie Steiermark plans to invest more than 1.5 billion euros in converting and upgrading the network infrastructure. Of this, more than 600 million euros alone are earmarked for the expansion of renewable energies. However, the challenge remains to ensure sufficient capacity in the existing network while at the same time installing new photovoltaic systems on free-standing areas.

The implementation of such projects is part of a larger initiative that aims to advance the use of renewable energies in Styria. This includes not only large solar farms, but also the integration of solar energy on the roofs of residential and commercial buildings. This is done in the hope of reducing dependence on fossil fuels and promoting greener lifestyles.

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