Sustainability: Business

Self-sustaining is what they want to be, independent of the big coal-fired power stations and even more so of atomic power stations. More and more local communities are in the process of supplying themselves with their own “clean”, regeneratively produced energy.

The project known as “100% Renewable Energy Regions” identifies, accompanies and networks regional and municipal communities that want to change to wind and hydro power, solar energy and biogas in the long term. At the moment there are over one hundred rural districts, local communities and regions in Germany that are pursuing this aim and many more are joining them.

Up and down the country resourceful people are drawing up new energy concepts for their local communities. Long-term contracts with the big energy supply companies are being terminated. Whenever possible, funding is being applied for from both central and regional governments, as well as the EU. A veritable hive of industry: wind parks are being erected on green meadows, roofs are being covered with photovoltaic panels, farmers are producing gas from biomass for heating homes and hot water tanks.

The motive – money is tight

The whole thing was inspired by the National Climate Protection Initiative of the Federal Ministry for Environment. Alongside protecting our climate, the most important factor behind this move to alternative energy sources is the fact that money is tight. The prices of fossil fuels just keeps going up and up, the big energy companies dictate the tariffs and the local communities’ budgets are at rock bottom. This is why many a local community is now hoping to be able to save money by turning towards a regional energy supply.

Take, for example, the rural district of Osterholz, located between the Hanseatic city of Bremen and Cuxhaven. Some of its seven local councils are up to their ears in debt. This is why in particular they have resorted to making a few investments, this time to be more precise, in energy. Every year the 120,000 people living there pay about 150 million euros for their energy. Martin Wagener, mayor of the county town of Osterholz-Scharmbeck, is not prepared to put up with this any more. “All that purchasing power just flowing right out of our community. We want to work out a package of measures and redirect the flow of finances in our district.” Today renewable energies only cover eight per cent of our electricity requirements and almost one per cent of heating needs. By the year 2030 the rural district and municipal councils want to be no longer dependent on energy being supplied from outside. In June 2010 the district was awarded the title of “Energy Council” for its commitment to its aims.

Self-sustaining communities are to become energy exporters

The Agency for Renewable Energies awards this title to community projects that have set an example. When you look at Osterholz’s information portal, it is quite clear that the district is an outstanding example, but it is certainly not the only one. Take the rural district of Rhein-Hunsrück in the state of Rhineland Palatinate, for example, where up until a short time ago there was no energy production to speak of, but in the meantime it has now generated a plus of 11.2 million euros with the help of its renewable energy scheme. About 1,500 regenerative energy plants already cover two-thirds of its total power requirements. The approved wind turbines alone are already producing about 50 per cent more electricity than is used. The aim now is to export the surplus energy.

The district of Dithmarschen is already doing just that. Being situated on the North Sea coast, it enjoys a definite location advantage when it come to the production of renewable wind and solar energy. With its 971 approved wind energy plants the district is the top producer of electricity from wind energy in the state of Schleswig-Holstein. At the moment 759 plants have been installed with a nominal power output of 540 megawatts.

Grid-connection and efficient energy storage systems

Some larger towns have also joined the 100% regions – Bamberg and it surrounding districts has merged to form a climate alliance. All the area’s available potential was analysed with a view to a communal development plan. The next step is to be an energy concept for the town and its rural environs. “In the meantime more and more regions are beginning to realise their potential in the field of renewable energies and all the economic opportunities that come with it,” as Jörg Mayer, the head of the Agency for Renewable Energies, sums it all up.

Critics of this boom in self-sustainability argue the communities would not be able to survive without the “ocean of power” they are surrounded by, i.e. the grid that is fed by the big electricity companies. Whenever renewable energies (wind and solar) cannot deliver the goods, electricity has to be tapped from the grid to guarantee a constant supply. The 100 % project managers are well aware of this and are moving more and more to setting up their own grid. There is however still one other problem – if we are going to use more and more electricity from wind turbines and photovoltaic plants that are dependent on the weather, we urgently have to develop more efficient energy storage systems.