Municipalities in Saxony are increasingly installing photovoltaic systems on their roofs. This is the result of a survey of the largest cities in the state. Leipzig, for example, generated more than 1,000 megawatt hours of electricity per year from photovoltaics on municipal roofs by the end of 2023. This is roughly equivalent to the energy needed to mow the lawn for two million hours or make 70 million cups of coffee, according to the city.
The city must lead the way in the expansion of photovoltaics, said Leipzig's Mayor of Construction Thomas Dienberg. "We therefore want every new municipal roof to have a green roof and a system for generating electricity - and existing roofs on our properties should also be equipped accordingly step by step if they are structurally suitable." Currently, around 50 to 70 percent of the electricity produced is used by the facilities themselves, with the rest fed into the grid as surplus.
By the end of the previous year, a total of 23 Leipzig schools, a sports hall, a fire station and a daycare center will have such a system in the trade fair city. In 2024, electricity is to be generated on a further 23 municipal roofs.
