Leipzig shines in sunlight: Germany's largest solar thermal facility opened!

Leipzig shines in sunlight: Germany's largest solar thermal facility opened!

Leipzig, Deutschland - A real energy transition will be initiated in Leipzig in the near future. Germany's largest solar thermal system is now officially completed. This innovative system does not use the power of the sun to generate electricity, but to produce heat. Water is heated by a sophisticated system of solar collectors, which also act as heat divers. This heat comes into the households of the city's households of the city's households. Almost 14 hectares, almost as large as 20 soccer fields, are reserved in Leipzig-Lausen. Means: an impressive investment of around 40 million euros, with 16 million euros being funded, as Friday reports.

The new solar thermal system, which has 13,200 collectors with a peak output of 41 megawatts, has the potential to cover the city's heating and hot water requirements from 2026. Especially in summer, the facility could handle a fifth of the heat requirement. In order to achieve this minor load on the environment, it is not only set to solar thermal energy; At the same time, climate-friendly projects such as an additional solar thermal system and a "power-to-heat" system are also being planned.

technological progress and environmental protection

The innovative technology that is used here promises a lot: This is how the vacuum tube collectors of the “Ritter” market leader are used, which enable fully automatic control. Based on the sunlight, the system is efficiently operated and the temperatures can reach up to 110 degrees Celsius. The heat is then guided to the end consumers via district heating lines. It should be noted here: Solar thermal has a significantly higher efficiency than photovoltaics. While the latter only reaches a top efficiency of 24 %and “loses” three quarters of solar energy, the efficiency in solar thermal energy is over 50 %, with peak values up to 75 %.

not only the technology convinces, the environmental idea is not neglected either. Nature will return among the collectors - with non -sealed areas, flower meadows, fruit trees and mixing hedges. In addition, a flock of sheep becomes willow, which again contributes to the care of the site.

A look at the future of solar thermal energy

For solar thermal energy in Germany, it not only looks rosy. The expansion pays significantly back: If 500 megawatts were reinstalled in 2022, in 2023 it was only 263 megawatts and for 2024 you expect only 154 megawatts. This development may appear cloudy, but the state goals with regard to renewable energies could bring new impetus again. Funding initiatives such as the building energy law (GEG) and the federal funding for efficient buildings (BEG) could set incentives to build more solar thermal systems and increase their benefits.

The energy enthusiastic increases in Leipzig, and with the country's largest solar thermal system, the city will soon be a pioneer in terms of sustainable heat supply. All the more, this means that climate protection and innovative technologies have to go hand in hand to shape a sustainable future. Because one thing is clear: there is something for a greener, more livable world.