University of Kassel produces its own solar power - support from cdw Foundation

The cdw Foundation will build the photovoltaic (PV) systems, worth around 1 million euros, successively over the next ten years; the Foundation and the university have now signed a contract to this effect. Construction of the first system will begin in the coming months on the roof of the building on Wilhelmshöher Allee, where the Department of Electrical Engineering/Computer Science is located. Further buildings at other locations will follow. When completed, the systems will produce a total of around 600,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, with the university aiming to consume 100 percent of the regeneratively generated electricity itself. The systems will also be available for research and teaching.

"The North Hesse region is strong in the field of renewable energies. As a university, we provide impetus here through research, teaching and knowledge transfer. In the future, we also want to make a contribution by producing clean energy for our own consumption," emphasized Dr. Oliver Fromm, Chancellor of the University of Kassel. "We would like to thank the cdw Foundation for its generous support in this regard."

Thomas Flügge, Managing Director of cdw Stiftung gGmbH, said: "Renewable energies already cover around 48 percent of gross electricity consumption in northern Hesse. This makes us one of the model regions in Germany. Unfortunately, however, the expansion has stalled. We want to further exploit the regional added value of over 120 million euros annually and further democratize the electricity supply. The PV cooperation between the University of Kassel as a central player in our region of expertise and ourselves is a positive example of the further regional expansion of renewable energies."

Pilot university for "intracting"

The university expects cost savings in the low six-figure range from the self-produced electricity. The university in North Hesse will use the funds saved to build further PV systems and implement energy efficiency projects. The project is therefore part of a larger "intracting" project, in which the proceeds from energy-saving measures are used to finance new energy-saving measures. The University of Kassel is the German pilot university here.

So far, the University of Kassel has only installed solar systems on a small scale, for example on the Frankenhausen estate, the university's teaching and experimental property.

The cdw Stiftung gGmbH stands for regional commitment and global responsibility. In North Hesse, it develops measures that advance the region economically, socially and culturally. In developing countries, it works with local people to develop rural regions, particularly through electrification and the spread of renewable energy supply systems. The foundation, based in Kassel, was established in 2011 by the founders of SMA Solar Technology AG, Dr.-Ing. E.h. Günther Cramer, Peter Drews and Reiner Wettlaufer.

Contact:

Thomas Flügge
cdw Stiftung gGmbh
Managing Director
Tel: +49 561 76644620
info[at]cdw-stiftung[dot]de

Sebastian Mense
University of Kassel
Communications, Press and Public Relations
Tel: +49 561 804-1961
Email: presse[at]uni-kassel[dot]de