Saerbeck, Germany – 100% Renewable Energy Atlas

Target: 100% renewable energy and climate-neutral by 2030
Status: In progress
RES: Solar power, wind power and biogas.
Implementation: Saerbeck is a municipality in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, north-west Germany. In 2008, its council decided to switch its entire energy supply to renewable energies in order to become climate-neutral by 2030. Since then it has achieved a range of climate protection milestones: In 2009, it won the German Solarprize. It was awarded the “NRW-Climate Community of the Future” by the State, functioning as a role model in the realm of climate protection and climate adaptation.
To reach its 100% target, Saerbeck has developed an “Integrated Climate Protection and Climate Adaption Concept". Part of the Concept are three central flagship projects that have already been widely implemented. The first flagship project “Saerbeck’s Sunny Sites” focuses on investigating the potentials of energy efficiency improvements and renewables application in private and industrial buildings. The second flagship project “Saerbeckian Insights – Renewables Made Transparent” developed a glass-heating system supplying a local heating network that conveys the concept of renewables in an educative manner. The third project “Steinfurtian Material Flows – The Circle is Closing” represents the conversion of a former ammunition depot to a bio-energypark based on PV, wind and biogas plants.
All of these achievements of the Climate Community-Project of Saerbeck could not have been realized without the strong support of the town's clubs and organizations, local churches, schools and educational facilities, and last but not least its citizens. Citizens and community both benefit from the security of renewable energy supply, financial participation and local added value.
Population: 7,149 (2016)
Area: 58.98 km²(22.77 sq mi)
Link: (In German) https://www.klimakommune-saerbeck.de/