Chemnitz is energy municipality of the month
The city of Chemnitz has been honoured by the Agentur für Erneuerbare Energien e. V. (AEE) as Energy Community of the Month for August. The AEE attests Chemnitz a broadly diversified structure around the use of renewable energies in all areas. "With the establishment of Chemnitz as part of the international innovation and technology centre for hydrogen, the continuous expansion of solar energy as well as projects for neighbourhood development and the expansion of mobility services, the municipality is consistently dedicated to continuous decarbonisation," reads the agency's press release.
The City of Chemnitz's climate protection work is supported by the European Energy Awards (eea) team, with which the City of Chemnitz was honoured in gold for the third time in 2023. In addition to a cross-section of the administration, the eea team includes the Chemnitz Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) and the Chemnitz Chamber of Crafts (HWK) as well as the energy supplier eins energie in sachen GmbH & Co.
However, Chemnitz is also characterised by the - sometimes "silent" - action of numerous private or entrepreneurial players who dare to innovate and take their own initiative. The expansion of renewable energies as well as innovations in efficiency and sufficiency not only mean savings in greenhouse gases, but also regional value creation. With the expected commissioning of the first construction phase of the Hydrogen Innovation Centre (HIC) in 2026 and the planned completion of municipal heat planning in 2025, Chemnitz is making further progress towards greenhouse gas neutrality, which is the goal for 2040.
The selection of a municipality by the AEE is usually based on indications from the renewable energy sector and the implementation of projects with supra-regional appeal, such as the Brühl neighbourhood concept, the title of Solar Capital 2022, the eea Gold award, which will be presented for the third time in 2023, or the battery storage system of one.
Background
The Agency for Renewable Energies e.V. (AEE) works to convince people of the benefits of the energy transition. It has set itself the task of raising awareness of the opportunities and benefits of an energy supply based on renewable energies - from climate protection and a secure energy supply to regional value creation. It works across political parties and societies and is a registered non-profit organisation. The Energy Community of the Month award is under the patronage of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection.