Over 2,300 megawatt hours of electricity: Leipzig continues to expand photovoltaics on municipal roofs
The city currently produces around 2,300 megawatt hours of green electricity per year on municipal roofs. This is roughly equivalent to the average annual consumption of 1,000 single-person households. In recent years, 38 new photovoltaic systems have been installed on municipal buildings, with a further 15 systems under construction and in preparation for 2025. A visible sign of sustainability in action is the new photovoltaic system on the 3,370 square meter roof of the Kurt-Masur-Schule, which is currently being commissioned by the grid operator. Leipziger Kommunale Energieeffizienz GmbH (LKE), a subsidiary of Stadtwerke Leipzig, has installed the system with a maximum output of 99 kilowatts at the elementary school in the Südvorstadt .
Mayor of Construction Thomas Dienberg says: "Around 70 percent of the electricity generated is used directly in the school - an important contribution to reducing CO₂ emissions. We can see here in concrete terms how the municipal energy transition can succeed - hand in hand with the citizens." The initiative for the installation at the Kurt Masur School came not only from the city, but also from the school community itself: Teachers and parents were actively involved in the project.
Christiane Dubiel, the acting headmistress, explains: "In our future workshop, the pupils deal with the Sustainable Development Goals every Friday. The school's own tablets are charged in the schoolyard with the help of small solar panels. And now the large solar panels are on the school roof to supply us with electricity when the sun shines. That's great. Even primary school pupils can experience the energy transition at first hand."
The advantage of working with LKE is that processes are standardized and accelerated and smaller roofs can also be equipped with PV systems. LKE Managing Director Stephan Klan adds: "Short distances, big impact - by joining forces and cooperating closely with the City of Leipzig, we are setting an example for climate protection."
The photovoltaic system at the Kurt-Masur-Schule is part of the city's initiative to further expand municipal roofs to generate renewable energy. This applies to both existing buildings and new construction projects. In recent years, numerous systems with a maximum total output of 2.1 megawatts - the so-called megawatt peak - have already been installed, and between 1 and 1.5 megawatts peak are to be added here every year.
In total, around 50 to 70 percent of the electricity produced is used by the facilities themselves, with the rest being fed into the grid as surplus. The municipality has around 3,000 roof surfaces, which have been continuously examined according to various criteria - such as size, building condition and monument protection - since a decision by the city council in 2020 and after an initial preliminary assessment. One particular project in collaboration with LKE is the planned photovoltaic carport on the P+R parking lot at the Neue Messe with a target output of 1 megawatt peak.
In addition, LKE now operates 125 heat generation systems, the modernization of which has already led to annual CO₂ savings of around 782 tonnes.
