In the autumn of 1993, Michael Raschemann – now Managing Director of Energiequelle and then still a student – planned to install wind turbines in Feldheim. The mayor and the board of the agricultural cooperative supported the idea and passed the final decision to the municipal council. There, too, the proposal was met with broad approval from the start, and two years later, the first four turbines were built and put into operation.
Another milestone followed: The agricultural cooperative in Feldheim and Energiequelle planned to build a biogas plant to use the waste heat to heat the pigsties. The rest of Feldheim’s residents saw the opportunity and joined a newly built local heating network – significantly reducing their heating costs. Additionally, the people of Feldheim decided, in just three town meetings, to build their own power grid to directly use electricity from the wind farm and biogas plant. To do this, they founded an energy supply company: Feldheim Energie GmbH & Co. KG, which was joined by the city of Treuenbrietzen, local businesses, and Energiequelle.
By autumn 2010, the time had come: all lines and cables had been laid. At the same time, new lines for drinking water and high-speed internet were installed. Feldheim now had its own independent electricity and heating supply – and was energy self-sufficient.
Petra Richter
Local Representative of FeldheimWe are proud of what we have achieved together with Energiequelle in Feldheim. Being energy self-sufficient, we are well prepared for the future and offer our children and grandchildren an environmentally friendly way of generating electricity and heat. In doing so, we are making our contribution to the energy transition.
Michael Raschemann
Founder of Energiequelle GmbHThe openness in Feldheim, along with the willingness and curious interest to create something together, made the development in Feldheim possible. Through the involvement of the municipality, local businesses, and all citizens, we are not only able to supply the village sustainably with clean energy, but also share the revenues with them.
Siegfried Kappert
Resident of FeldheimPolitically and economically, we were already on the right path back then – without even realizing it. And today, we are proud to be part of Feldheim and to be able to share our story.
Michael Knape
Mayor of TreuenbrietzenYou need the land – and with it, the people who live there. Projects were always successful when developers didn’t aim to maximize everything, but instead explored what was feasible together with the community.
The Technology Behind FeldheimHow Energy Reaches the Village
The technology behind Feldheim is impressively simple. No new technologies had to be invented to make the village climate-neutral. What makes the concept special is the combination of individual components.
The Feldheim wind farm consists of an impressive 52 turbines of various types. Of the 200 million kWh generated annually, only 0.5% is used in Feldheim itself. The rest flows into the public power grid, supplying approximately 40,000 households with sustainable energy.
Each year, the biogas plant – equipped with a combined heat and power unit – generates 4 million kWh of electricity, most of which is fed into the public grid. The waste heat from electricity production is used in Feldheim’s local heating network – saving the climate and residents from buying 180,000 liters of heating oil annually! The input materials include 4,900 m³ of slurry, 7,900 tons of maize, and 620 tons of grain meal, all supplied by the local agricultural cooperative.
In 2015, Feldheim installed the Regional Control Power Plant (RRKW), which at the time was Europe’s largest battery storage system with a capacity of 10 MW. The storage medium consists of lithium-ion batteries. Its primary function is to keep the grid frequency stable at 50 Hz.
Small and inconspicuous on the outskirts of Feldheim, the WVZ houses several components. When the local heating network is not supplied by the biogas plant, alternative sources step in: A power-to-heat system efficiently converts regional wind power into heat. A woodchip heating system uses waste from processing timber from surrounding forests. During operation, it emits no more CO₂ than the trees absorbed during their growth phase.
The WVZ heats water to 90°C in a closed system, which is then distributed via insulated pipes to households and businesses. There, the energy is transferred to tap water and heating systems through heat exchangers.
The Energy Transition from 1993 to Today
Kick-off!
The municipal council approves the proposal by then mechanical engineering student Michael Raschemann to build four wind turbines in Feldheim.
Power Begins to Flow
The first four Enercon E-40 wind turbines, each 85 meters tall, are connected to the grid.
The Wind Farm Grows
The wind farm expands to 43 turbines, reliably supplying sustainably generated electricity. Each turbine contributes to the financial strengthening of the community.
Biogas for Feldheim
In a partnership between Energiequelle and the agricultural cooperative, a biogas plant is built. The resulting heat supplies households, businesses, and agricultural facilities.
Autonomous Feldheim
Feldheim begins construction of its own electricity and heating network. A small portion of the electricity generated by the wind farm now flows directly to Feldheim. The price per kilowatt hour drops significantly for residents. A biomass heating plant and heat distribution center go into operation. Feldheim becomes energy self-sufficient.
Visitors from Around the World
The former inn is converted into a visitor center. The new Energy Forum welcomes up to 3,000 visitors annually – from school groups to heads of state.
A Battery for Feldheim
Feldheim receives a battery storage system – at the time, the largest in Europe! Its primary function is to keep the grid frequency stable at 50 Hz.
The Concept Works
Feldheim has now been energy self-sufficient for 15 years. The technology has proven itself, and residents are independent of fluctuating energy prices. Feldheim has become a showcase for the energy transition.
12 cents per kilowatt hour
The citizens of Feldheim joined forces to form their own limited partnership – Feldheim GmbH & Co. KG. This made it possible to finance the expansion of the new infrastructure. Thanks to their initial investments, Feldheim residents now enjoy extremely low energy prices – currently paying just 12 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity! In comparison, the average price across Germany is around 35 cents.
Good for the Community
Thanks to the nearby wind farm, many infrastructure projects have been realized in Feldheim that would have been impossible for the municipality to implement on its own. These include a new bell and ringing system for the church, the renovation of the bypass road, new street lighting, new sidewalks, a floodlight system for the football field, and new windows for the village community center. All of this has significantly improved the quality of life in the area.
Independent and Sustainable
The availability and pricing of imported energy sources such as oil and gas are subject to strong and unpredictable fluctuations. Not so in Feldheim: With the expansion of renewable energy, the risks of future price increases were eliminated. Electricity prices not only remained consistently low – they could even be contractually fixed for ten years.
And beyond supply security, the residents of Feldheim enjoy the reassuring feeling of actively contributing to climate protection through their energy consumption.
Everyone Pulls Together
Feldheim’s energy supply has been a community project from the very beginning – supported by its citizens, local businesses, the municipality, and Energiequelle. Major decisions were always made with a shared vision: a sustainable, affordable, and independent energy future that benefits everyone.
The 'Neue Energien Forum Feldheim'An Educational Center for Renewable Energy
Energy Transition as an Export Hit
Anyone entering the reception area of the New Energy Forum (NEF) gets a sense of Feldheim’s global impact: a display case showcases gifts from around the world – brought by delegations who came here seeking inspiration for the energy transition in their own countries.
But they take away more than just technical ideas: the core message is that a complete supply with renewable energy is not only possible, but also easy to implement. In this way, Feldheim’s influence extends far beyond the village – reaching into the climate policies of other continents.
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