The rewetting of drained agricultural peatlands is regarded as a key measure for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Germany. Consequently, in mid-April, for example, the Federal Government launched a comprehensive funding programme for the rewetting of peatlands. The aim is to rewet around 90,000 hectares of land in Germany over the coming years, whilst at the same time enabling sustainable agricultural and forestry use.
The possibility of combining rewetting with the installation of photovoltaic systems offers additional incentives for landowners and land managers to make their land available for rewetting. Through the multiple use of land – where appropriate, in conjunction with the cultivation of paludiculture crops – climate protection, the expansion of renewable energy and economic interests can be combined.
In order to ensure that the construction of so-called Peatland-PV is carried out in a way that is compatible with nature and the climate, the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) has now, for the first time, published comprehensive nature conservation recommendations for their planning and implementation.
The findings of a research and development project are summarised in the new BfN publication 784. They show that less than a third of drained agricultural peatland areas are potentially suitable for the construction of peatland PV plants. In addition, the publication provides a detailed legal analysis of the planning and approval of peatland PV plants, sets out recommendations for possible legal amendments and assesses the implications for nature conservation and landscape management. Furthermore, it highlights socio-economic options for creating larger contiguous areas and identifies further research needs.
For the first time, comprehensive recommendations are being drawn up for the planning and implementation of nature- and climate-friendly designs for Peatland-PV. These include, amongst other things:
- Space-saving installation comprising several smaller systems
- Use of highly elevated and semi-transparent modules
- Wide spacing between modules
A key recommendation is that PV systems on organic soils should only be permitted in conjunction with rewetting.
BfN-Schriften 784 - Potenziale und naturschutzfachliche Wirkungen von Photovoltaik-Freiflächenanlagen auf landwirtschaftlich genutzten Moorböden. Dietmar Mehl, Janette Iwanowski, Timo Zeimet, Bodo Degen, Conny Mehl, Anne Breznikar u.a. BfN-Schriften 2026 (German edition, wih an abstract in English)
Press release of the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation