Increasing sustainability: cdw Foundation hands over new solar plant to university

Enough electricity is produced here alone to supply five single-family homes. It is the eighth system of its kind on the roofs of the University of Kassel. In total, they produce 360,000 kWh of electricity a year and save about 152 tons of CO2. "This plant comes just at the right time. Because this winter will show how important our efforts in the field of renewable energies were and are," emphasizes Chancellor Prof. Dr. Oliver Fromm.  

Since 2018, the Kassel-based cdw Foundation has been installing solar panels at the university under a grant agreement to increase the university's own power supply. The non-profit foundation aims, among other things, to push the regional energy transition in northern Hesse and promote Kassel as a research location. "Years ago, the university set out on an exemplary path to implement energy-saving measures. The cost savings are reinvested directly in further energy-saving measures," said Thomas Flügge, Managing Director of the cdw Foundation. "Through our addition of photovoltaic systems, we have also been able to support this path on the energy generation side. 100 percent of the electricity generated is consumed by the university itself. Against the backdrop of rising electricity prices this winter, the benefits of our long-standing cooperation become even clearer."

The new plant is located on the roof of the Kunsthochschule Kassel's exhibition hall, which is also new. "The hall, which was built entirely of wood according to the latest criteria for sustainable construction, has been an intensively used exhibition and event venue since the beginning of the year and is a central building block for teaching and research at the Kunsthochschule. The cdw Foundation's generous commitment to the Kunsthochschule over many years is exemplified by the solar installation, which rounds off the hall's ecological concept," explains Dr. Martin Schmidl, Rector of the Kunsthochschule Kassel.

Some of the electricity costs saved will be invested by the University of Kassel in further photovoltaic systems, while another part will be used for energy efficiency measures on its own buildings.