Installing photovoltaic systems on municipal properties is a central task of MIT.GIESSEN GmbH. A system was recently connected to the grid on the Rödgen community centre.
The city of Giessen and Stadtwerke Giessen (SWG) founded MIT.GIESSEN GmbH almost exactly two years ago. The task of the joint subsidiary, in which both partners hold 50 per cent of the shares, is to develop energy services that help the municipality on its way to climate neutrality. In concrete terms, this means that MIT.GIESSEN will initially plan, install and maintain photovoltaic systems (PV systems) on the roofs of municipal properties. A current example of this successful work is the solar power plant on the roof of the Rödgen community centre, which representatives of MIT.GIESSEN GmbH, the city of Giessen, SWG and Stadthallen GmbH recently officially put into operation. With an output of just under 30 kilowatts peak, the system will generate an average of around 29,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year - enough to power around 13 average households. "The plant avoids more than 13 tonnesof CO2 emissions per year," says a delighted Jutta Müller, Managing Director of MIT.GIESSEN and Head of the City's Building Construction Office. Another detail worth mentioning is the predicted proportion of self-consumption in the community centre itself: It is almost 43 per cent.
A lot has already happened
The solar power plant on the Rödgen community centre is already MIT.GIESSEN's ninth completed project. "So far, we have been able to realise plants with a total output of 410 kilowatts peak, and six more with a total output of 340 kilowatts peak are in the works," explains Wladislaw Krenz, Managing Director of MIT.GIESSEN and Head of Controlling at SWG. Provided there are no unforeseen delays, they will be connected to the grid by the end of the year. MIT.GIESSEN's business plan envisages the construction of 13 PV systems by 2025. This reflects the acceleration of the expansion: Their completion will more than double the capacity of solar electricity production on municipal properties in Giessen in the coming year.
Great potential
A city like Giessen offers plenty of potential for photovoltaic systems: schools, kindergartens, gymnasiums, administrative buildings, community centres, fire stations - the list of available properties is long. The special thing about this is that the buildings usually not only offer suitable roof surfaces, but also have a suitable demand to operate PV systems economically. This is because most of these properties are used during the day. This makes it possible to use a large proportion of the electricity generated directly on site. "This not only reducesCO2 emissions, but also energy costs," calculates Astrid Eibelshäuser, City Councillor and Head of Building Construction.
Well-established team
In MIT.GIESSEN, the city and SWG, the two key players in the local energy transition, have pooled their expertise to drive forward the expansion of PV systems in Giessen in a consistent and coordinated manner. "Photovoltaic power generation is a cornerstone of the energy transition. We recognised this years ago and have therefore successively built up the necessary expertise. This is precisely what we are now bringing to MIT.GIESSEN," says Matthias Funk, Chief Technical Officer of SWG, describing the cooperation. The responsibilities are clearly defined: A team of experts from SWG will take care of everything to do with the installation of the PV systems - from planning and awarding contracts to specialised companies to commissioning, including monitoring. Of course, it also takes care of construction supervision.
Employees in the building construction department select the roof areas to be covered with photovoltaic modules. To do this, they check important parameters such as statics, condition, orientation and possible shading in advance. In addition, those responsible at the city naturally know when work is due on façades or roofs and take this into account when making their selection. "Installing a PV system as part of renovation work that is due anyway saves a lot of money. This aspect also shows that the expertise of the city and SWG complement each other perfectly here," says Andreas Hergaß, Commercial Director of SWG.
Like practically all construction projects, the installation of a PV system naturally affects the use of the property concerned in some way for a while. However, in the case of MIT.GIESSEN projects, such restrictions are kept within manageable limits. This is because the relevant experts from the city and SWG prepare and organise everything in the best possible way and the work is usually completed within the planned time frame. This is what happened in Rödgen. Sadullah Gülec, Managing Director of Stadthallen GmbH Gießen and as such responsible for the operation of the community centre, was regularly on site to get an idea of the construction progress and summarises his praise in one sentence: "Everything went like clockwork during the installation of the PV system."