Renewable energies in the city: 6 innovative approaches to energy generation from german impact startups
The energy transition is no longer just an issue for rural regions with large wind farms and solar fields. Cities also play a decisive role in the transition to renewable energies. Urban areas offer numerous opportunities to generate clean energy and improve the quality of life of residents at the same time. In this blog post, we take a look at innovative approaches from 6 impact startups to energy generation in urban areas.
The challenge of energy supply in cities: Cities are densely populated areas with high energy requirements. At the same time, they often offer limited space for traditional forms of renewable energy generation such as large wind turbines or extensive solar fields. Creative solutions are therefore needed to meet the specific challenges of urban environments.
Solution: balcony and window power plants
Rooftop solar systems are one of the best-known methods of generating renewable energy in cities. By utilising existing roof surfaces, buildings can be transformed into small power plants. Modern solar modules have become more efficient and affordable, which is further fuelling their spread. Solar panels on the roofs of residential buildings, office blocks and even car parks make a significant contribution to reducing urban CO2 emissions. The problem: In cities like Berlin, over 84% of people live in rented apartments and therefore most of them cannot afford to install a solar system on their roof.
This is why balcony power plants are another exciting development in the field of urban energy generation. These small, modular solar systems can be easily installed on balcony railings or terraces and offer tenants and homeowners the opportunity to generate their own electricity. With minimal installation effort and cost, balcony power plants can help reduce electricity bills and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. They are a practical and accessible solution for the urban population to actively participate in the energy transition.
Our impact startup We Do Solar brings solar power to your balcony and makes energy production accessible for everyone. More information at: we.do.solar
There is also a solution for people without their own balcony: window power plants. These narrow PV modules fit on your windowsill. More information at: www.fensterkraftwerk.de
Solution: Tenant Power
Community-Generated Energy
Tenant power projects are an excellent way to make the benefits of renewable energies accessible to tenants. In these projects, solar power generated on the roof of a rental building is directly supplied to the tenants. This allows for decentralized and local energy supply, reduces electricity costs for tenants, and contributes to the reduction of CO2 emissions. Tenant power models promote community and create awareness of the importance of renewable energies in an urban context.
Impact startup PANELY inspects your building, plans and installs the photovoltaic system on the roof of apartment blocks. They conclude the necessary electricity contracts with tenants, measure and bill consumption for you in accordance with the law. Tenants receive solar power from the roof as long as the sun is shining and green electricity from the grid when it is dark. More information at: panely.de
Solution: Wind energy
The revolutionary wind sail from we4everyone
Utilizing wind energy in urban environments has historically been challenging due to several factors. First, the complex and turbulent wind patterns caused by tall buildings and narrow streets make it difficult for traditional wind turbines to operate efficiently. Additionally, noise and aesthetic concerns have made large wind turbines less desirable in densely populated areas. The limited space for installation and the higher cost of adapting wind technologies for urban settings have also been significant barriers.
With innovations such as the wind sail from our impact startup we4everyone, these challenges are being addressed, making wind energy a more viable option for cities. This innovative device is designed to efficiently generate wind energy even in densely populated areas with turbulent urban winds. we4everyone brings sails to land, wind power to urban environments and a new technology to market. Wind power does not rely on rotors and uniform strong winds – instead, their wind sail converts turbulences and light winds in green energy. Urban wind energy is available in winter and during nights and therefore an efficient complementary to solar energy.
The co-founders Maria Pozder and Mathias John are currently crowdfunding their impact startup. You can find more information about their campaign on Startnext: www.startnext.com/we4everyone
Solution: Green facades and urban gardens
More Than Just Beautiful
Green facades and urban gardens offer not only aesthetic benefits but also energetic ones. Plants on building exteriors and rooftops can contribute to temperature regulation, thus reducing the energy consumption for heating and cooling. Additionally, biomass produced in urban gardens can be used for energy generation, for example, through biogas plants.
Impact startup 90green has the vision to use intelligent GreenTech solutions to create as much green space as possible on as little land as necessary in our cities and urban areas and thus actively combat the causes and effects of climate change. Combining modular greening elements with a data-driven digitalisation approach. Specialised plant and environmental sensors built into our modules collect relevant data, which is enriched with real-time climate data in our cloud environment. This allows plants to grow under ideal conditions, their ecological impact to be analysed based on data and resources to be saved.More information at: www.90green.com
Solution: Citizen Participation
Another key to the success of renewable energies in cities is citizen participation to spread these new technologies.
PLAN B is a coordination network that supports people in realising good solutions with other people from the city and making small contributions to the big picture — and big contributions to our common future. By 2030, Berlin will be safer, more social, more liveable — and climate-neutral. That is the goal. PLAN B brings together people from different organisations, with different social roles, expertise and skills. Anyone can join in and get involved. One of the focus projects is to equip Berlin with tens of thousands of balcony power plants. That would be the breakthrough for the urban energy transition and the expansion of solar energy in rented flats, where over 84% of Berliners live in. Each household could save between 200–300 euros per year on fossil fuel electricity and thus also on electricity costs. And solar energy would go viral and generate so many copycat effects that the climate transition and #energydemocracy would become the new normal. More Infos on: 2030planb.de
Conclusion
Renewable energies in the city are a central building block for a sustainable future. Through innovative approaches like rooftop solar systems, balcony power plants, tenant power projects, or the revolutionary wind sail from we4everyone, urban spaces can make a significant contribution to the energy transition. It is up to us to support and spread these technologies to achieve climate goals and make our cities more livable.
By exploring and utilizing these new ways of generating energy, we create a sustainable and livable environment for future generations. The future of urban energy supply is green, innovative, and community-driven – let us embark on this path together.