Villach starts revolutionary sun park: 734 tons of CO2 savings!

Villach starts revolutionary sun park: 734 tons of CO2 savings!

Zauchen, Villach, Österreich - On June 30, 2025, the Sonnenpark Zaucht celebrated its opening in Villach. This innovative AGRI PV system, which does not require soil seal, will not only supply urban buildings with green electricity, but also support biodiversity in the region. According to Villach.at , the sun park consists of around 7,000 photovoltaic modules, which cover about a third of the city's current power consumption. This is saved by 734 tons of CO2 every year - this corresponds to about 8,500 flights from Klagenfurt to Brussels.

The Sonnenpark Zaucht is part of a long -term strategy with which the city of Villach plans to cover its entire electricity requirement by 2030 to 100 percent of renewable energies. Mayor Günther Albel announced this ambitious initiative as early as 2021. In order to achieve this goal, the city is increasingly relying on open space PV systems. With an area of ​​four hectares, the AGRI PV system in Zaucht is the largest municipal project of this kind in Carinthia and combines agricultural use with electricity production. Here brown mountain sheep grazes among the solar modules, supported by the organization Arche Austria.

energy and environment in harmony

An extensive species protection concept accompanies the construction and operation of the system. Like Meinzirk.at also arisen with rare tree species and a dry biotope that has a positive effect on the insect population. These approaches make the sun park a real biodiversity paradise and promote the ecologically sustainable interaction of nature.

Due to the construction of the sun park, Villach was able to reduce the previous construction costs from 3 million euros to 2.4 million euros. Another advantage of the solar panels is that they are installed without a concrete foundation, which means that they can be easily removed if necessary. The system is therefore not only environmentally friendly, but also flexible. The detailed data on the Villacher PV offensive can be viewed on the urban website and in the town hall.

further expansion of photovoltaics

The city of Villach goes with a big step towards the energy transition. In 2024, numerous photovoltaic systems were already built on public buildings such as schools and kindergartens, which led to a saving of around 570,000 euros in electricity costs and the avoidance of almost 400 tons of CO2. The expansion of the PV systems will continue in 2025, including at the town hall and in the Congress Center.

With the new AGRI PV system in Zaucht, CO2 emissions in the city are reduced by another 1,200 tons per year. The conversion of agricultural areas to the production of renewable energy could not only be an answer to climate change, but also open a new source of income for agricultural businesses. As described in a study by the Fraunhofer Institute on Agri-Photovoltaic, such projects can contribute to more efficient land use and to reduce water consumption in agriculture. Fraunhofer.