Energiequelle GmbH has put a wind turbine into operation in Ludwigsfelde. An Enercon E-138 with a hub height of 160 metres was erected on a landfill site in the Brandenburg district of Teltow-Fläming. The turbine has an output of 4.2 MW and produces electricity for around 5,000 households.

Approval for the project was granted in March 2023. Following a rejected appeal and legal action, construction of the turbine was able to begin in February last year. The plant has now successfully fed its first kilowatt hour into the grid.

Erik Klaus, Project Manager at Energiequelle GmbH, is delighted that the plant is now connected to the grid: ‘The commissioning of the new wind turbine is a significant milestone. The successful realisation shows the determination and commitment of everyone involved.’

The turbine is the 808th wind turbine erected by Energiequelle. Since its foundation in 1997, the company has connected more than 1,700 MW to the grid across Europe.

The Neue Energien Forum (NEF), which is part of the energy self-sufficient village planned by Energiequelle in Feldheim, Brandenburg, has been honoured for its innovative and sustainable educational offering. The NEF has received the ‘National Award - Education for Sustainable Development’ from the German UNESCO Commission. 24 outstanding initiatives were honoured for their special commitment to innovative educational approaches. The award ceremony by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research took place on 1 October 2024 in the Klimahaus Bremerhaven. The initiatives impressed with their innovative educational approaches that enable people to actively help shape a sustainable and responsible future. The NEF impressed the jury with its impressive commitment to implementing the United Nations' global sustainability goals.

Additional ESD certification

On 18 November, the NEF also received certification for its environmental education from the Brandenburg Service Agency for Education for Sustainable Development (BNE). As an extracurricular place of learning, it was honoured alongside five other organisations for its outstanding educational work in the field of sustainability. With the award in Potsdam, the six winners can now advertise themselves and their programmes as high-quality educational actors for four years.

The concept of the New Energies Forum

With its permanent exhibition on renewable energies, the Neue Energien Forum makes an important contribution to sustainable education in the field of climate protection and the energy transition. Feldheim's energy concept is explained, and renewable energies brought to life using models, panels and information and experimentation stations. The forum also offers programmes for team days, specialist tours, school project days and conference rooms. From politicians to climate protection officers, professors, students and pupils, the Neue Energien Forum Feldheim welcomes people from all over the world.

The energy self-sufficient village of Feldheim

The success story of Energiequelle and Feldheim began over 25 years ago. Together with companies, private households and local authorities, an innovative overall concept for a decentralised, renewable energy supply was implemented. The individually connected households in Feldheim are supplied independently via separate distribution networks with electricity and heat from renewable energy plants located directly in or on site. Energiequelle has planned the building blocks of this concept, modern wind energy and biogas plants, using state-of-the-art technology, constructed them as turnkey projects and finally linked them to form a regional energy supply network via the newly built distribution system.

Energiequelle and the connection to Feldheim, its vision and its ongoing development into an educational centre for young and old, are now more tangible than ever. ‘Feldheim shows how the energy transition can be lived and how sustainability can be made tangible. We are delighted that the project and the educational programme are becoming visible through the awards,’ says Doreen Raschemann, Chairwoman of the Förderverein Neue Energien Forum Feldheim e.V. (Feldheim New Energies Forum Association).

Energiequelle is a finalist in the prestigious ‘Großer Preis des Mittelstandes’ competition. The award is presented by the Oskar Patzelt Foundation and recognises companies that make a significant contribution to economic and social prosperity through innovative solutions and sustainable business models. Out of a total of 4,600 companies across Germany, 24 were honoured as finalists. The award ceremony took place on 21 September with almost 400 guests in Würzburg and represented the first part of the competition. The second part followed last Saturday in Düsseldorf. The nationwide special prizes and plaques of honour were awarded at the Oskar Patzelt Foundation's national ball in Düsseldorf.

Energiequelle not only impressed the jury with its commitment to employee training, intensive onboarding and cooperation with colleges and universities. Its close collaboration with local authorities and municipalities, its innovative strength in the energy self-sufficient village of Feldheim, its research work in the field of hydrogen and the renaturalisation of a raised bog also contributed to the nomination. Since 2016, Energiequelle and its foundation have also been committed to social causes and have supported more than 71 projects to date - including school project days and other measures to promote education.

Since 1994, the ‘Großer Preis des Mittelstandes’ has honoured companies that make a significant contribution to society. Energiequelle has been nominated for the fourth time since 2012. This year's nomination was made by the town of Zossen.

By being honoured as a finalist, Energiequelle GmbH, which has been active in the field of renewable energies since 1997, is included in the prestigious list of awards of the Oskar Patzelt Foundation and recognised for outstanding achievements in the SME sector.

Four Energiequelle GmbH wind farms have been awarded contracts in the latest onshore wind energy tender. With a total of 68.1 MW, the company was successful despite being slightly oversubscribed.

The wind farms are located in Bremen (Rekum, two turbines totalling 14 MW), Thuringia (Sömmerda, four turbines totalling 22 MW), Brandenburg (Danna, one turbine with 4.3 MW) and Hesse (Heringen, four turbines totalling 22 MW).

Gregor Weber, Managing Director of Project Management at Energiequelle, is delighted with the success: ‘We were able to get wind farms approved in four different federal states and have now successfully completed the tendering process. We are particularly pleased about the first award for two of our projects from our almost 300 MW portfolio in Thuringia and Hesse, which we developed together with Alterric. In the next step, we will do everything we can to prepare for the start of construction in order to connect the parks to the grid as quickly as possible.’

In total, the company has already built more than 800 plants with a total nominal output of 1,700 MW.

Last Friday, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the energy self-sufficient village of Feldheim. In Feldheim, Energiequelle GmbH has realised an innovative energy concept together with the town, the citizens and the agricultural cooperative. The village is completely self-sufficient with its own electricity and heating network, making it a pioneer in the municipal energy transition.

The small village in Treuenbrietzen, Brandenburg, receives around 5,000 visitors a year, including the German Chancellor. He was accompanied by MDB Sonja Eichwede (SPD) and Melanie Balzer, direct candidate for the SPD in the Potsdam Mittelmark constituency.

Energiequelle Managing Director Michael Raschemann welcomed Olaf Scholz and his companions to the Neue Energien Forum Feldheim, an information and exhibition centre for renewable energies. After a brief tour of the exhibition, a round table discussion took place with local stakeholders. Among those present were Michael Knape as mayor of the town of Treuenbrietzen, Petra Richter as head of Feldheim, Sebastian Herbst and Werner Schlunke as representatives of the agricultural co-operative and Brigitte Kappert as a resident of the first hour. Over coffee and cake, the development of Feldheim was reported on - from the first plant, the biogas plant, the storage facility and the wind farm, which now consists of 55 turbines. Knape emphasised the importance of the financial benefits for the municipal budget and Olaf Scholz saw his government's goal of involving the municipalities in the energy transition confirmed. However, the Chancellor was also informed that positive examples such as Feldheim are still the exception and that everyone must work together to better recognise and exploit the opportunities of the energy transition locally.

Things got exciting when the Managing Director of the agricultural cooperative, Sebastian Herbst, reported on the current situation of the biogas plant. Olaf Scholz emphasised the importance of biogas, as electricity and heat must also be produced at times when the wind and sun are unable to deliver. From the reality of the plant operators

Every three years, Energiequelle GmbH carries out a customer satisfaction survey in the area of operations management. The operations manager with regional offices throughout Germany once again scored top marks. On a scale of 1 to 6, the almost 18 questions were given an average score of 1.15. Almost 40 customers took part in the survey.

In the survey, Energiequelle wanted to find out from its customers how satisfied they were with the company's technical and commercial services and communication. Specific topics included customer service, reporting, the handling of payment transactions and the organisation of fault and repair processes.

The very good availability, the high level of expertise and the friendliness of the contact persons were again emphasised. Almost all customers would recommend Energiequelle GmbH's operations management to others.

Lars Schiller, Managing Director of Operations Management at Energiequelle, is very pleased with the result: ‘Despite increasing market demands on our services, the shortage of skilled labour common in the industry and the strong growth in projects, we were able to maintain our high quality standards and continue to satisfy our customers.’

Energiequelle currently manages almost 850 plants with almost 1,800 MW in the wind, PV, biogas and grid sectors.