Saarbrücken:
Solar and wind energy in the Saarbrücken energy concept
Saarbrücken:
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| Country: | Germany |
| Type: | Projects, Policies |
| Area: | Entire City |
| Actors: | Local Gov., Regional Gov., Private |
| Funding: | Local Gov., Regional Gov., Private |
| Topics: | Consultancy |
| Ecological education | |
| Energy | |
| Renewable resources | |
| Objectives: | Improve access to information |
| Increase use of clean technology | |
| Increase use of renewable resources | |
| Reduce energy consumption | |
| Instruments: | Demonstration and pilot project |
| New financing arrangements |
In the Saarbrücken energy policy, solar energy and wind power can be regarded as the two cornerstones in the field of renewable energy. In both areas the Saarbrücken energy utility has paved innovative paths from pilot projects to direct utilisation on a larger scale. Such a policy does not only require technical research but also pursuing new methods of administration and financing. Therefore, the Saarbrücken energy utility integrated the area of renewable energies as a separate field of activity into the corporate structure in November 1995. Concerning the promotion of solar and wind energy, the municipal energy utility was engaged in the following activities:
The use of renewable energies started in Saarbrücken as early as 1986. At the time the first solar installation with 1,600 square metres at the Schwarzenberg municipal swimming pool helped to save energy costs of 44,000 DM per year. The pay off period had been six years.
In 1988 the solar house in Ensheim with 8 kW had been the second pioneering project as it was the model for a private house. With this project linear tariffs for private solar energy supplier had been introduced. The energy utility paid 25 pfennigs per kWh during the day and 19.81 pfennigs per kWh at night.
The results from this project led to the initiation of the programme kW solar power from Saarbrücken rooftops in 1989. This starting aid programme had been set up in order to enable as many customers as possible to become electricity suppliers to the municipality. The Saarbrücken Energy Study 2005 has shown that a solar cycle management on existing Saarbrücken buildings could include 260,000 square metres of solar-suitable roof surface. Currently, there are 50 mainly privately operated photovoltaic systems installed which have a capacity of 140 kWh. With a surface of 10 square metres it is possible to get a solar capacity of approximately 1 kW which could generate 900 kWh per year. The energy utility pays 37 pfennigs per kWh. The installation costs for such an equipment amount nearly to 20,000 DM. The municipal utility is providing low-interest loans up to 20,000 DM and the Land of Saarland is giving grants of up to 7,500 DM per kW within its Market Introduction Programme for Renewable Energies (ZEP Zukunftsenergieprogramm). The programme is also funding for standard solar systems for water heating with up to 3,000 DM in old buildings and up to 2,000 DM in new buildings.
In 1995 the project of the non-profitmaking organisation Energiewende Saarland e.V. (energy change), a new project for the promotion of solar energy, has started. It is collecting money from business companies and private persons in order to install new solar systems on the surface of public buildings (e.g. schools). The investors can buy a share in the system and they get a sunshine note (worth 100 DM) as a receipt. The municipality and the Land of Saarbrücken provide the roof areas and the Ministry of Economics of the Land of Saarbrücken subsidises the project in accordance with the guidelines of the Market Introduction Programme for Renewable Energies. So far two systems have been installed.
The photovoltaic and block heat and power energy unit is a tandem photovoltaic and block heat and power station at the Saarbrücken Innovation and Technology Centre SITZ. The project started in 1991 as new companies decided to move to the site of the innovation and technology centre. The idea is to use heat and electricity from the heat and power station in winter and at times of seasonal change as the total energy unit provides 180 kWel and 250 kWh. In summer the place only needs electricity supply and, therefore, the energy supply of 50 kWp by the photovoltaic system is sufficient. The installation of the system required 550 square metres of silicon cells or approximately 1,000 solar modules. For the first time frameless modules from the Siemens company were used.
The Saarbrücken energy utility is also engaged in the development of wind energy. It has a 25% financial share in the Saar GmbH in Freisen in the northern part of the Land of Saarland. The wind farm is also owned by 450 private members. The Windpark project started in October 1995 and the current capacity is nearly 4,000 kW.
As the Windpark project is located outside the city area the municipal utility can only participate financially. However, the testing of suitable sites within the city is currently under way and a pilot project with a capacity of 300 kW is planned in the Ensheim area.
In December 1995 the first solar energy facility, the Saarbrücken Energy and Environmental Forum, had been opened at the new administration building of the Saarbrücken utilities, the so-called of the Future. The courses offer a wide range of topics (e.g. on low-energy houses, renovation of old buildings, construction of solar collectors, construction of wintergardens, energy saving from passive solar energy etc.). The first co-operation partner had been the consumer protection agency and the Academy of Ecological Building.
In 1994 about 50 mostly privately-owned photovoltaic systems are delivering some 150,000 kWh of solar energy per annum to the municipal electricity system. The municipal utilities pay their solar power suppliers an input fee of 37 pfennigs per kWh.
The new Windpark project generates electricity for approximately 2,500 households and the environmental gain is equal to the reduction of 6,500 tonnes of CO2.
The photovoltaic and block heat and power energy unit had led to an investment of 3.8 million DM. 50% of the costs were covered by the EC as this had been a research project, another 13% of the total costs had been granted by the national Ministry for Research and Technology. At the time the project was the largest solar project that the EU had co-financed.
The total investment of the Windpark project had been 9 million DM of which 1.3 million DM had been provided by the Market Introduction Programme for Renewable Energies and another 2.1 million DM came from energy industries.
Leonhardt, Willy / Klopfleisch, Reinhard / Jochum, Gerhard 1991: Kommunales Energie-Handbuch. Vom Saarbrücker Energiekonzept zu kommunalen Handlungsstrategien, Karlsruhe
Heinrich, Franz / Jager, Peter 1992: Netzintegration eines Photovoltaik-Systems kombiniert mit einem Blockheizkraftwerk, Saarbrücker Diskussionspapiere Nr. 6, Saarbrücken
Windpark Saar (Hg.) 1994: Storm aus Wind. Die ökologische Kapitalanlage, Merzig
Leonhardt, Willy 1994: Municipal environmental management using innovative service ideas, in: EA.UE, (ed.) 1994: Ecoenergia. Rational and Renewable Energies for the cities of the future. Report of congress and workshop Milan, June 16th - 19th, 1993, Berlin, pp. 144-148
Stadtwerke Saarbrücken AG (Hg.) 1994: Neue Bausteine zum Klimaschutz: Die Saarbrücker Energiestudie 2005, Tagungsunterlagen zum internationalen Forum an 18. April 1994 in Saarbrücken, Saarbrücken
OECD, (ed.) 1995: Urban Energy Handbook. Good Local Practice, Paris
Netzwerk-Magazin 1996: Informationen der Stadtwerke Saarbrücken, Ausgabe Nr. 38, Januar 196, Saarbrücken
| Name | : | Dr. Lottermoser |
| Firstname | : | Jürgen |
| Telefon | : | ++49 / 681 / 905-1576 |
| Telefax | : | ++49 / 681 / 905-1763 |
| Address | : | Energy and Environment |
| Department, City of | ||
| Saarbrücken | ||
| Amt für Energie und Umwelt der | ||
| Landeshauptstadt Saarbrücken | ||
| Großherzog-Friedrich-Straße 37 | ||
| D - 66104 Saarbrücken | ||
The City of Saarbrücken is the capital of the Land Saarland, the smallest German Federal State. It has a population of 190,000 and it covers an area of 168 square kilometres. It is situated in the Saar Valley along the French border which had been a traditional coal producing region.
Project was added at 25.06.96
Project was changed at 25.06.96