EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - EuroWindPark, providing industrial power

EuroWindPark, providing industrial power – Aachen, Heerlen, DE, NL

Introduction

Aachen is considered throughout Germany as a leader in promoting electricity from renewable sources. The “Aachen Model”, with its approach of providing cost-covering payment for solar-generated electricity fed into the grid, provided the model for the German Renewable Energy Act.

Problem

The power supply to the entire industrial park is to be CO2-neutral, and the manufacturing facilities there are also intended to be low-energy and low-emission.

Description

The cross-border Aachen/Heerlen industrial park is named AVANTIS.
Both cities hope to meet high standards with this industrial park:

They want companies with an international orientation, or with high technological or innovative aims to locate here, as well as research institutes, banks and other service enterprises.
Excellent transport links are to be established, with metro rail connections to the two town centres and the near-by Maastricht airport.
The power supply to the entire industrial park is to be CO2-neutral, and the manufacturing facilities there are also intended to be low-energy and low-emission.

Approach

The CO2 neutrality of energy supply is to be guaranteed mainly by generating as much electricity from renewable sources of energy in or near the industrial park as is consumed by the companies locating there.

This involves the planned biomass-fired power plant, as well as the wind farm next to the industrial park. The wind farm will have 9 large wind turbines with a capacity of 1.5 or 1.8 MW each, and a planned annual electricity output totalling 27 GWh (27,000 MWh). This corresponds to ca. 2% of the overall electricity requirement of the city of Aachen.

Results

Aachen’s experience to date shows that wind energy inland is indeed an economic and cost-efficient climate-protection measure. However, in view of the limited areas available in the greater Aachen area, there are spatial limits to the expansion of wind power here.

So a share of the total domestic, commercial, and industrial electricity consumption in Aachen from wind power of only 2%–4% is probably a realistic maximum in the near future, rather than the technically feasible proportion of 10%–15%.

A key factor determining the successful further expansion of inland wind energy has been and continues to be the German Renewable Energy Act, which entered into force in April 2000.

EU involvement

Due to the transboundary and innovative character of the project, it has been subsidised by the European Commission.

Contact info

Stadt Aachen, Fachbereich Umwelt
Mr. Klaus Meiners, tel. +49 241 432-0

Project start date

01/01/1997

Links

Aachen and Heerlen are partners in the Energie Cités Network

Download the 'EuroWindPark, providing industrial power – Aachen, Heerlen, DE, NL' Report (PDF, Eng, 152 KB)

Document type

case

Themes

Urban Policy > Economy knowledge & employment > Urban economy

Keywords

Business support