Our Members: Our Members' Activities > Germany > Bonn
Renewables in Public Facilities
| |
| |
| |
|
Since 2006, a wood pellet heating system has been used to generate heat energy for the Pennenfeld school centre. The wood burner has a capacity of 350 kilowatts and provided 1,333 megawatt hours of heat in the year 2007. Using this new system means around 460 tons more CO2 can be saved each year than with the old system, which equates to the annual CO2 emissions of 130 single-family homes heated with natural gas.
The city of Bonn also takes advantage of the energy-producing potential offered by the roof space of municipal facilities with photovoltaic systems. There are currently 51 installed on city buildings, with a total energy producing capacity of 483 Kilowattpeak. Moreover, the water at four of the six municipal swimming pools is heated directly by the sun via solar absorption systems that cover a total of 2,775 m2.
Let's go Solar!
| |
|
What alternative methods of heating are there and how can individual households reduce their energy usage? Many consultants were on hand at Bonns "Energy Day" to answer any questions the many visitors had. In addition to specialist talks, company presentations and information discussions, there were also entertaining activities to participate in: energysaving light bulbs could be won in the wheel of fortune game; there were piggy bank races and the question "What uses more power? The stove or kettle?" brought an element of fun to the subject of energy. Münsterplatz is the venue for the annual "Energy Day", which with a new concept has replaced in 2007 the "Solar Week", run by the city of Bonn since 1995. Members of the public also come to find out more about funding programmes for solar installations. Since 2007, the city of Bonn has provided financial support for the use of thermal solar energy through its own municipal funding programme (100 Euro / m2 of absorption surface area). Following a dramatic decrease in the rate of installation between 2004 and 2006, the introduction of the city funding programme meant there was once again a significant increase in their popularity. Thus in the year 2007, more than eight times the collector surface area was installed on Bonn rooftops than in the previous year.
Low-Emission Mobility Partnership
| |
|
The "Partnership for Air Quality and Low-Emission Mobility" aims for sustained improvements in air quality in the city of Bonn. The local utilities company, board of trade and industry, tradesmen, retail industry and hotel and hostelry associations, as well as the local branch of the home and landowners society all signed a voluntary agreement to make contributions to sustainable mobility and to assess these after a period of one year.
The signatories particularly want to encourage those who commute to work to leave their car at home and to travel by bus or train instead. In addition to their previous activities, the business organisations will begin running comprehensive information events for its member organisations.
Around 10,000 JobTickets have already been distributed to some 100 companies (generally small and micro Organisations). The business associations have also introduced JobTickets and parking control measures in their
own offices.
Mobility doesn't only affect the air quality directly, but also has an impact on climate protection as a whole, thus a further building block of the initiative is to improve energy efficiency within companies. Geothermal energy, combined heat and power (CHP) plants, solar energy and heat insulation are also to be presented at the information events as possible energy-saving methods and alternative power sources.
