Members of the University of Bremen are doing their part for climate protection and the production of sustainable energy. They have contributed equity in an amount of € 160,000 to found a cooperative called “UniBremenSolar“. At the kick-off meeting, 55 members of staff from all areas of the University put their signatures to the company statutes. “This represents a big step towards achieving our goal of connecting the University’s solar power installations to the grid before the end of the year”, says project coordinator Doris Sövegjarto-Wigbers from the Center for Environmental Research and Sustainable Technologies (UFT). If you would like to support the solar project, all members of the University of Bremen are eligible to join.

The idea was born earlier in the year in May, when the initiating group decided to found the cooperative. Intensive preparations for the project took place between the months of June and August and the group grew consistently bigger. In the meantime, the idea has become firmly anchored throughout the University. University employees and students from different Faculties and Departments are able to contribute their know-how to the work in progress. The rectorate has agreed to the roof areas being used to generate solar power over the next 20 years..

Initially, the solar panels are to be installed on a total of seven rooftop surfaces – for example, the University library and the administration buildings. The power they generate will first have to be fed into the power grid before it becomes part of the University’s electricity supply. “We want to show that the electricity supply can be decentralized and still operate in a sustainable way. Apart from anything else, it can also be a lucrative investment for members of the cooperative”, says Doris Sövegjarto-Wigbers. The minimum membership fee is € 100. Precisely how many solar panels will eventually be installed on how many of the University’s rooftops will depend on the amount of equity subscribed by mid-September.

You can find more information and membership applications under www.uni-bremen.de/unibremensolar.html