Projects assigned as Best-Practice Projects

After the successful implementation of the Eco-Watt – the first performance contracting project in Germany with participation of citizens, the concept was further developed. In cooperation with Wuppertal Institute Ö-quadrat developed the 100,000W Solar Initiative.

The basic idea behind this concept is to install 50W of solar power per pupil and save 50 W in lighting demand per pupil at a select group of schools in the German state of North Rhine Westphalia. Overall, 100 W of conventional power would then be offset per pupil. A school with around 1000 pupil would then represent a 100,000 W solar negawatt plant.

Furthermore, the project managed to get utility companies on the boat. In the renovation of the Aggertal School, the renovation of the lighting system, the installation of a 43 kW solar array, hydraulic support for heating circuits,1 and pump renovation was financed with investments from community contracting. The power supply for the Aggertal school comes from 50 kW cogeneration unit, which also supplies the school with heat at a price competitive with natural gas.

Overall, the school currently produces far more electricity than it consumes. The energy conservation measures brought the original annual power consumption of 120,000kWh down to around 65,000kWh.

The solar array produces some 35,000 kWh per year; the cogeneration unit, an additional 230,000 kWh. As a result, the school now emits 70 per cent less carbon than it did before renovation.

Three other projects (Willibrord School in Emmerich, Bergerfeld in Gelsenkirchen and the Europa-School in Köln, are working in the same way.

The projects have been assigned as best practice projects from the State of North Rhine- Westphalia because they exemplify in a special way a contribution to sustainable development and the design of the future.

Further information
 www.solarundspar.de