Feldheim: Hundred Per Cent Energy Self-Sufficient Village in Germany
TerraGreen|April 2023
After his participation in the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BETD) 2023 as a Media Fellow from TERI in March 2023, Abhas Mukherjee reminisces his visit to the village of Feldheim, which is one of the most remarkable concepts for supplying enterprises, private households and local government with renewable energies on a decentralized, self-sufficient basis. He learnt how it is possible for communities to be supplied 100 per cent energy with heating and electricity from indigenous, renewable energy sources. The project owes its success to the brilliant partnership between the municipality of Treuenbrietzen, the residents of Feldheim and the project developer, Energiequelle GmbH
Abhas Mukherjee
Feldheim: Hundred Per Cent Energy Self-Sufficient Village in Germany

On a pleasant morning on March 30, 2023, I boarded the bus for a guided tour to Feldheim as a side event of BETD 2023. I was quite thrilled that after two days of sublime energy transition discussions under the motto “Energiewende – Securing a Green Future”, where ministers and high-ranking delegations from over 60 countries engaged in discussions with representatives from business, science and civil society, I was about to witness a village in Germany which is completely powered by renewable energy. Besides learning about the background of the energy transition, I was looking forward to getting hands-on experience about Feldheim, an energy self-sufficient community, which has plenty of lessons to share in the sustainability sphere. The journey from Berlin to Feldheim was quite beautiful as we travelled for about 90 minutes on our bus from the impressive cityscape of Berlin to the spectacular countryside.

Feldheim is located 83 kilometres south-west of Berlin. The Feldheim New Energy Forum is located in Feldheim, a tranquil district within the medieval town of Treuenbrietzen (in Brandenburg). Remarkably, Feldheim produces its own energy from wind, sun and biomass and also feeds it into the grid. Their way of functioning has become a role model for communities around the world. The success of this project is due to the good and cooperative partnership between the town of Treuenbrietzen, the residents of the district, the agricultural cooperative Fläming eG, and the project developer Energiequelle GmbH. Feldheim’s hands-on approach to producing its own eco-friendly energy draws thousands of visitors from around the world each year.

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