Global warming, loss of biodiversity, and resource scarcity are just a handful of issues our generation will be left to solve if humanity is to continue living on Planet Earth. In order to tackle this collectively, our proposal is simple — make our societies climate-resilient and financially inclusive. Our plan has always been to help make the transition for individuals to lead a green, sustainable life — convenient & easy. By doing so, we could keep a check on our global temperature from shooting over the threshold mentioned in the latest IPCC report.
Although the plan seems straightforward, the question still remains — has anyone ever achieved such a feat? Does a nation or town like this exist whose citizens are leading a green, sustainable life while getting rewarded? Surprisingly, there does exist such a village. Welcome to the eastern German village of Feldheim, a small village boasting a population of just around 130 people.
Feldheim: The Model for Renewable Energy
The story began with an experiment by an entrepreneur and then-engineering student Michael Raschemann and his wife, Doreen. Micheal and Doreen initially proposed building four wind turbines on land owned by the local farming cooperative. This was the first project undertaken by the venture they co-founded, Energiequelle Gmbh. The rise of Feldheim as the world sees it took birth from their vision back in 1995.
A series of events helped transform Feldheim from a backwater town in eastern Germany into a model renewable energy city. The Raschemanns realized that the village’s strong wind and abundant land could be best utilized by building wind turbines. Thanks to a partnership with their co-founded venture, they decided to install the village’s first wind turbine. The village wind farm currently produces so much renewable energy that 99% of it is sold on the energy market.
The wind farm success led Feldheim’s farming community to realize that they could do more and eventually reap its rewards.
Feldheim did have their tussles with the big energy companies but rode through multiple obstacles to stick to their vision. What followed was a wave of the green revolution with the village eventually having their own resident-owned wind park(consisting of more turbines than houses) and a €1.7 million biogas factory. This not only created multiple green jobs but the residents who invested their time and money to make this vision a reality now owns their own power grid and makes a profit from them.
Read more about Feldheim’s journey to energy resilience here.
Why is Feldheim’s success story crucial for the world?
After Japan witnessed one of the decade’s most disastrous nuclear disasters in Fukushima, Feldheim became an inspiration for cities across the world looking to make the shift toward renewables. The fact that this village remains to be Germany’s only town to have started its own power grid and heating is a feat on its own. Being energy self-sufficient while relying on renewables is an ultimate flex for large metros that are still struggling to control their emissions. This drives us to our next question — what can the rest of us learn from this model village?
The residents of Feldheim proved that a society can function on its own by taking responsibility for projects collectively. Our theory on the mass adoption of circular economies can be a reality if tested in a well-coordinated, united community. In order to fight billion-people problems like climate change, we need to be able to adopt such models in our own backyard quickly. But how can we do this?
Let’s break this down a bit further.
Five learnings from the Feldheim model
1. Play your Strengths 💪🏽
The residents of Feldheim took a calculated risk when they decided to invest in a wind farm. It was a safe bet because they first spent time finding the best resource to invest in. In this case, wind. Once they realized that Feldheim had abundant land and wind to erect wind turbines, they got down to business.
Understanding which resource is the best bet in your town, whether it is tidal, solar or other forms of renewables, is the first step to building a green grid.
2. Localized Solutioning and Endorsement 📣
A wind farm, a biogas plant and with the Raschemanns’ company adding a solar farm to its wide portfolio, the creation of energy relied completely on clean, green energy in Feldheim. Result: Feldheim residents save up to 30% on their energy bills every year, while being energy-resilient.
In order to generate green energy in your household, we already have systems and subsidies in place. The problem? Lack of awareness. We can only tackle this by demonstrating with an example. Become a beacon for the rest of your neighbours/community by installing and endorsing easily executable solutions like rainwater harvesting, solar panels, domestic biogas plants, etc. This will lead to a chain reaction making people within your town/city realize the gift their land has, helping them unlock its true potential and lead a much more sustainable life.
3. Circular Process ♻️
Feldheim’s farmers grow corn and raise pigs. Their decision to use the slurry of unused corn and pig manure resulted in building their own biogas factory. This in turn gave rise to a functioning circular system on its own, with farmers reaping the benefits of their own farm waste.
Similarly, installing domestic biogas plants across residential and commercial projects will help citizens generate free energy, thereby reaping benefits from their own organic waste, in a true circular fashion.
4. Community Integrity 🤝
Despite the rapid development of Feldheim’s renewables, the village faced a major setback to becoming completely self-sufficient when the utility company E.ON refused to sell or lease its electrical grid to them. The citizens responded by constructing their own parallel electrical grid and heating network, group-funded by Energiequelle, EU subsidies, loans, and most importantly, €3,000 in contributions from each villager. Since the grid has gone live, Feldheim claims to have become carbon-neutral.
The village’s united stand to take over the responsibility for their energy needs proves that the collective human power stands second to none. Replicating such a feat might seem hard, but not impossible.
5. Vision is Key 👁
The engineering student in Michael Raschemann had the vision to transform his village. His vision became a reality when all of Feldheim’s residents and the mayor stood by him. Without the Raschemanns’ vision, Feldheim may not have become what it is today. Revered and looked up to by many budding nations, they are a green economy, something that we all should envision our societies becoming in the future.
Executing this in urban landscapes, although seems like an uphill climb, is still achievable. Multiple NGOs and governmental organizations are already in place to tackle waste and energy problems across the nation. All we are proposing is a platform to make this a hassle-free habit. Every individual will eventually belong to a private grid that is maintained and run by his/her/their community to cater for their energy needs — be it water, power and commodities(food, clothes, electronics, etc).
Conclusion ✍🏼
Feldheim proved to the whole world that powering a grid on renewables is possible if an elaborate plan is devised. All it takes is patience and the drive to guide a band of humans to start thinking in the right way. The Raschemanns’ vision came to life thanks to tireless efforts from the entire village of Feldheim over a period of 25+ years. With tourists flocking in from all around the world to observe and learn from this tiny village in East Germany, we stop and wonder what limits us to reach their heights. What is it that stops us from not thinking outside the box?
The answer is simple — the right way to live isn’t emphasized much, at least as much as it’s required to be. If we, the citizens, take charge of how we want to lead our lives, it will hurt the capitalist economy initially. However, over the long run, we will be able to turn our world into a thriving, green economy, rich with green and financially inclusive jobs. This green network, if done right, will have the potential to power every corner of the world.
We are entering a critical phase of the human race — an age which will witness things never seen before. With global temperatures still climbing, the only signs of hope live within people who are living the right way. The citizens of Feldheim are a testament to how the human race has to live forward. To lead a life of net zero carbon need not be by degrowth but by adopting renewables. Everything that we do right now can be done still, but with a different form of energy.
With that in mind, let’s try to change the way we live in this beautiful world. Get in touch with local energy stations and find out what renewables can be installed at your property right away. Read more on why reducing your footprint matters and what are easy practices to reduce them here.