CTO Assessment - European Commission

PELLWORM
100% RES
Contact: Mathias Schikotanz/Claus Zetl •Oekologisch Wirtschaften e.V
Tammensiel 25a • 25849 Pellworm • Tel: +49 48441212
Fax: +49 4844259 •E-mail: oekologisch.wirtschaften@t-online.de
In 1997 the German island Pellworm drew
up a renewable energy plan in order to
present model concepts for energy supply
sourced from renewables and to access a
wide range of applications. The strategy
for the future is to fully exploit the island’s
main sources of renewables: wind, sun and
biomass. Pellworm is connected to the
mainland electricity grid in Germany via
submarine cables. The idea is to sever this
connection in the near future and create a
self-sufficient, 100% RES system.
The initiative
The strategy set up by the island is to work
towards the goal of increasing the share
of renewables to 100%. Increasing public
awareness of issues related to renewable
energy and spreading best practices to
other locations where similar potentials
exist are also important motivational factors.
So far 13 wind turbines have been erected
to achieve the goal of exploiting the renewable
energy capabilities of the island. Wind
energy has by far the greatest potential of
the renewable energy and there is still much
room for expansion.
Photovoltaic and Biomass are also being
further developed. A biogas plant is in the
process of being established at the current
time.
Pellworm local government. After this was
completed three farmers took up the
project and formed a society in order to
implement the project. The plant is now in
the development stages. Financial aid has
also been received from the EU from the
ALTENER Programme and from EON,
then Schlewag. The current task is to acquire
funding for the heat storage plant
that would enable the heat from the new
biogas plant to be used in Pellworm also.
To combat the lack of funding, Pellworm,
in conjunction with the Georesearch institute
in Potsdam, held an Information Day
in autumn 2001. As a result of this the
University of Lüneburg and Stuttgart became
interested and agreed to take over
the research, that has been outlined in the
Pellworm feasibility study, of the new heat
storer which will be shallower (20-40 meters
deep), so more cost effective to boar
down to and with a higher temperature
output (70 degrees) than any yet in existence.
Challenges
There have been some challenges posed
from a lack of proactive political support
in the past. These were eased when
Pellworm was selected as a model village
for the Expo 2000 in Germany. This meant
there was great publicity and support generated.
Pellworm received a greater influx
of tourists as a result and the project attained
high visibility.
The heat production capabilities for the
biogas plant will not be used under the current
terms. This is due to the fact that there
is not the financial capacity to set up an
underground storage for the heat. The necessary
funding aid is 60%, of which the
EU could supply 50% and Schleswig-
Holstein federal state 30%.
Replication Potential
For many areas heat storage would be the
perfect solution. In Pellworm there is no
major industry mainly residential areas but
for localities that have a high demand for
heat this is a really cost effective method.
Pellworm has already started to contact
the neighbouring Islands to disseminate
information and generate support for replication
elsewhere.
RES Increase
As a result of the initiatives on Pellworm
the RES share of the island has gone up
78% and once the biomass plant has been
established this will further increase to
92%. CO 2
emissions have been reduced by
80%.
Innovative aspect
Once the feasibility study for the Biogas
plant was completed three farmers who
wished to participate formed a society and
adapted the project outline into a plant they
could set up. Since then more people have
joined the society and in this way the plant
has enough financial backing and is now in
the establishment process.
Key facts of the project:
The objective was to install PV systems with a capacity of 600 kWp and
300 kWp of this is currently active
There are 28 large solar thermal collectors installed with a surface area of 318 m 3
5 privately owned wind turbines have been installed with an output of 680 kW
There is one windpark with 8 turbines
A combined heat and biomass plant is currently in the planning stages
Enabling factors
The cost of the feasibility study for the
biogas plant was taken over by the federal
state of Schleswig-Holstein and the
56 CTO - Showcase