Resilient Ideas: Get Off The Grid
Photo by Sebastiano Pitruzzello
The little town of Feldheim, Germany (population: 145) has made big strides in energy independence. Wind, sun, and biogas sometimes produce more annual electricity than the town even needs. Feldheim’s 43 wind turbines churn out 170 million kilowatt hours each year on average. The biogas plant uses silage and farm manure to generate heat and electricity for 41 homes, three farms, and a factory. And the 40-hectare solar park, on a former military training ground, generates an average of one million kilowatt hours per year.
With technical investment from Energiequelle GmbH, the town set up its own grid and cooperatively-owned energy company. In return for an initial investment of approximately $4,000, stakeholders are guaranteed that the price of their energy won’t rise for the next two decades.
Regina Gregory wrote this article for A Resilient Community, the Fall 2010 issue of YES! Magazine.
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