Solar energy
"Photovoltaics is one of the key technologies of the energy transition in Europe. Saxony is set to become the centre of the European solar renaissance. [...]" said Saxony's Energy and Climate Protection Minister Wolfram Günther.
Chemnitz is leading the way in the expansion of solar energy and was named Solar Capital 2022 by WirtschaftsWoche magazine. According to data from the Federal Network Agency, Chemnitz produces more solar power in relation to its population than any other place in Germany. According to the data, Chemnitz generates 0.293 megawatts (MW) per 1,000 inhabitants. In addition, an installed solar capacity of 71.112 MW is achieved.
Press article on the solar capital
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Solar cadastre Saxony
Solar cadastre Saxony
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Photovoltaics in Chemnitz
Not so long ago, Chemnitz was named Germany's solar capital for 2022 by Wirtschaftswoche and others. And ahead of Freiburg, Münster and Munich.
In terms of installed solar power, Berlin generates the most solar energy overall. More area, more power. Logical. However, Wirtschaftswoche put this in relation to the number of inhabitants, i.e. how much power is produced per capita. And here Chemnitz is the leader with 0.293 megawatts per 1,000 inhabitants. It is striking that Münster, the first major city in western Germany, is only in fourth place. So is eastern Germany the Mecca of solar energy?
The people of Chemnitz themselves contribute to this result by installing private systems, but the now numerous photovoltaic systems (PVS) on municipal buildings are also a significant factor. If we add up the collector areas on the roofs of municipal primary schools (including Südlicher Sonnenberg), daycare centres (including Kita Schlossstraße) and the vocational school centre (Technik III) alone, we arrive at 873.8 square metres, which corresponds to a theoretical energy gain of 131,500 kilowatt hours.
This amount could cover the electricity requirements of the paternoster in the town hall for around ten years, run the Chemnitz zoo for 3.2 months, heat up the sauna in the municipal swimming pool for around four months or give you 394,500 minutes of hot showers at home.
If you want to do the maths again: To generate 1 kWh, you need to ride a bike for ten hours or burn 100 millilitres of petrol. And now take a look at your last utility bill and the kilowatt hours consumed for a year. No wonder people are increasingly focussing on home solar systems, is it? And Chemnitz is leading by example!
The fact is: photovoltaics is becoming increasingly important and has become an indispensable alternative to oil and gas, for which urban areas are being continuously expanded. And not just in Chemnitz.
Solar thermal energy in Chemnitz
The graph shows the solar heat generated in Chemnitz from 2000 to 2015. Due to a lack of aerial photographs, it was not possible to determine the increase after 2015 on an annual basis. For this reason, the trend derived from previous years was used for an extrapolation up to 2019.
According to this, almost 2,000 solar thermal systems with a collector area of approx. 37,000m2 can be assumed. This means that almost 17 gigawatt hours (GWh) of renewable heat can be generated each year. However, the roof area potential in the city of Chemnitz alone would allow up to 670 GWh per year if all suitable roofs were utilised for heating support.
Brühl energy neighbourhood concept - integration of solar thermal energy
On the Georgbrücke site in Chemnitz, there is a large-scale solar thermal plant from eins covering an area of 3,200square metres. This supplies the buildings in the nearby Brühl district with so-called LowEx district heating, i.e. the connected buildings are reached at a working temperature of 80 degrees, which is significantly lower than the temperature of conventional district heating at 120 degrees.
The heating water in the collector field is heated up to 80 degrees by solar radiation. Solar energy that is not immediately required is stored and utilised when the sun is not shining. If the solar radiation is not sufficient - for example when it is cloudy - energy from the return flow of the central district heating network (approx. 65 to 70 degrees) is used to heat the heating water.