How long does it take to build a solar park?

The construction itself takes three to six months, depending on size and complexity — small installations as little as two to three months. The entire process from first contact to commissioning takes ten to 26 months, on average 12 to 18 months.

What is the time-critical path?

The planning and permitting procedure, at 12 to 18 months. In the privileged corridor under § 35 BauGB (Solarpaket I) it is considerably faster, because only a building permit is required instead of a Bebauungsplan (local development plan).

Guide · Project Duration

How Long to Build a Solar Park?

In brief: The construction itself takes 3–6 months (small installations 2–3), the permitting procedure 12–18 months, and the overall process from first contact to commissioning typically 12–18 months, with outliers of 10–26 months (sources: FlächenMakler, landverpachten.de).

Phases at a glance

Phase	Typical duration
Site acquisition + preliminary grid-connection inquiry	2–4 months
Expert reports (species protection, LBP, possibly soil, glare)	4–8 months in parallel
Permitting procedure	12–18 months (often faster when privileged)
Auction (EEG) or PPA negotiation	3–6 months
Construction phase / erection	3–6 months (small installations 2–3)
Commissioning + grid energisation	1–2 months

Where it goes faster — and where it gets stuck

Accelerators:

Privileged corridor under § 35 BauGB (Federal Building Code) since Solarpaket I (Solar Package I): a building permit instead of a Bebauungsplan (local development plan) — often saves 6–12 months (see Permitting).
Conversion site with no conflict situation: rapid authority approval possible.
Standardised module / mounting-system choice: no special logistics required.

Brakes:

Grid-connection bottleneck: often the most critical path, regionally 12+ months of waiting time (see Grid Connection).
Proximity to sensitive protected areas: additional compatibility assessments.
Land-use planning procedure with public participation: outside the privileged status.
Component availability: inverters and transformers can be lead-time drivers.

Comparison with wind: A BImSchG (Federal Immission Control Act) procedure for wind takes 4–8 months in the simplified track / 18–30 months in the formal track — a solar park is considerably faster, because the survey seasons (breeding birds over a whole season) are eliminated or reduced and the procedure often runs as a building permit.

Frequently asked questions

What is the absolute minimum?

On a perfectly prepared site with immediately available grid connection and a privileged location, 9–10 months from first contact are possible. A realistic, plannable order of magnitude is 12–18 months.

What destroys schedules most often?

Grid-connection bottlenecks, additionally requested expert reports and component lead times. Early clarification with the DSO (distribution system operator) and the authority reduces the risk considerably.

What if the EEG auction has to wait?

With a valid permit, you can wait for the next suitable auction — the BNetzA (Federal Network Agency) publishes the dates in advance. Alternatively, enter the PPA market directly.

Solar park construction time: Gantt timeline 0-26 months with overlapping phases. Site acquisition 2-4 months, expert reports 4-8 months in parallel, permitting procedure 12-18 months (bottleneck), EEG auction 3-6 months, construction phase 3-6 months, commissioning 1-2 months. Typical total 12-18 months. Accelerator: privileged corridor Section 35 BauGB saves 6-12 months. Brake: grid-connection bottleneck is the most critical path

Solar park construction time – phase timeline, accelerators and brakes