Hanwha SolarOne has supplied 8.2MW of solar modules to a citizen-funded solar project in Germany.

The project, ‘Lerchenhaid II’ was developed by Gold Solar Wind Management (GSW), who sold shares for the project to citizens which sold within days, according to Lucia Gold, general manager of GSW.

South Korea-based PV manufacturer, Hanwha SolarOne, a subsidiary of Hanwha Group, supplied the modules installed either side of the railway tracks close to Lerchenhaid, Germany, after seven weeks of construction.

The project was connected to the Stadtwerke Straubing grid in April 2013.

GSW which already manages 30MW of citizen-funded solar projects, will provide operations and maintenance.

“As was also the case for our first energy initiative in Straubing, local interest for the project was very high,” said Gold. “With private citizens investing their savings, delivering the expected return is our highest priority. After thorough evaluation, we chose Hanwha Solar modules for our project in Straubing. We are confident that these high-quality modules will deliver clean energy for years to come.”

A smaller 2MW project also citizen-funded in Bavarian Vatersdorf, was finalised in September by GSW with Hanwha SolarOne also supplying modules.

“We congratulate the citizens of the city of Straubing and county of Straubing-Bogen on their sustainable investment,” said Maengyoon Kim, managing director of Hanwha SolarOne.