As of: February 2, 2024, 7:30 a.m
By: Andreas Wolkenstein
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The founding fathers of Bürgerenergie Holzkirchen: (back from left) Max Josef Essendorfer, Jürgen Mohr, Norbert Klimt, Wolfgang Kieslich and Josef Winter as well as (front from left) Peter Herre, chairman Jürgen Pampus and Werner Teichert are involved as supervisory boards or executive boards.
Offers for PV systems are already being obtained © Andreas Wolkenstein
For the first time in 2023, more than half of Germany's electricity came from renewable energies.
Holzkirchen is also preparing to advance the transition to electricity from sun and wind: a newly founded citizens' cooperative wants to implement sustainable energy projects.
The first project will be a photovoltaic system on the roof of the new building yard.
Holzkirchen
– The first step towards energy from citizens has been taken: 18 people signed the statutes and thereby ensured the founding of a cooperative.
The members from the very beginning are representatives of the Energy Working Group (AK), in which the idea of a citizens' cooperative emerged in 2022.
The AK Energie is a committee that advises the market town of Holzkirchen on energy matters.
At the founding meeting, the supervisory board was elected as the central body of the cooperative.
This consists of Josef Winter (chairman, 54, Valley), Wolfgang Kieslich (deputy, 59, Holzkirchen), Max Josef Essendorfer (53, Fellach), Norbert Klimt (60, Holzkirchen) and Jürgen Mohr (58, Holzkirchen).
The supervisory board, in turn, elected the board of directors, who will manage the fortunes of the cooperative on a voluntary basis.
The board includes Jürgen Pampus (chairman, 73, Holzkirchen), Werner Teichert (deputy, 62, Holzkirchen) and Peter Herre (54, Holzkirchen).
According to Teichert, the goal of Bürgerenergie Holzkirchen, as the cooperative is called, is to implement the energy transition with the participation of local citizens.
The aim is not to maximize profits.
Pampus named the first project to achieve this goal as the construction of a photovoltaic (PV) system on the roof of the new construction yard.
An agri-PV system is also planned.
Such energy systems are built on grassland and allow agricultural use to continue.
We already have a location.
“The land use planning is currently underway,” explained Pampus.
Finally, suitable locations for the construction of wind turbines are currently being examined.
To finance the projects, the cooperative issues shares at a price of 250 euros.
For the roof PV at the construction yard, for which investment costs of 380,000 euros are incurred, 1,520 shares are needed, calculated board member Herre.
While this project will be carried out without outside capital, loans will be used for further projects.
An agri-PV system on two hectares of grassland costs a good 1.5 million euros; the pasture planned in Holzkirchen is eight hectares in size.
Through the planned direct marketing of the electricity generated, the aim is to achieve sales revenue of 40,000 euros per year, Herre continued.
The next step is to enter the cooperative register, reported Chairman Pampus.
This will enable the cooperative to act.
Offers for the project are currently being sought at the construction yard so that orders can be awarded immediately after registration.
Anyone who would like to become a member will soon be able to apply for shares.
“We ask that you subscribe to as many shares as possible,” said Herre.
They would then initially be distributed so that everyone received an equal number of shares.
If the required amount has not yet been reached, those who requested more when subscribing will receive more shares.
Further information about Bürgerenergie Holzkirchen is available on the homepage www.buergerenergie-holzkirchen.de.
Membership applications will soon also be available there.
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