Self-Sufficient German Village Has Few Energy Concerns
2022-10-10
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1Europeans are preparing for the increase in prices of their energy bills.
2Many plan to try to save energy this winter by turning down the heat and turning off lights.
3But not the 130 people who live in the east German village of Feldheim.
4The little town has been energy self-sufficient for more than ten years.
5Feldheim built a few wind turbines to provide it electricity as an experiment in the 1990s.
6Then, the village expanded that effort to build a local electrical system, or a grid, and solar panels, batteries, and more turbines.
7A biogas factory built to keep piglets warm was enlarged.
8It pumps hot water though a village-wide central heating system.
9A hydrogen production center is also being built.
10Now, 55 wind turbines can be seen (and not heard) on the farmlands around Feldheim.
11Locals enjoy some of the lowest electricity and natural gas prices in Germany.
12Kathleen Thompson works for a local educational organization, the New Energies Forum.
13The villagers "can all sleep well at night," she said.
14"They've got no concerns because the prices are not going to change, not in the immediate future anyway."
15Thousands of visitors from around the world come to see how Feldheim produces green energy.
16Germany, as a whole, still uses carbon-based fuel for much of its energy needs.
17But the country has invested billions into the growth of renewable energy to reduce its use of climate-changing energy.
18Even with that investment, carbon-based fuels and nuclear energy were responsible for more than half of the country's total power production in the first six months of 2022.
19A lack of sufficient transmission capacity often leads to shutdowns at wind parks.
20Carbon-based fuel plants then increase their production to provide electricity to factories in the south.
21Michael Knape is mayor of Treuenbrietzen, the city to which Feldheim belongs.
22He said letting locals take part in and benefit from the project was key to Feldheim's success.
23The community approved so many turbines that it makes, and exports, about 250 times more electricity than it uses.
24Knape admitted that Feldheim's effort cannot be copied everywhere.
25But he said such projects could be a big part of a solution.
26"Many little Feldheims could supply at least parts of Berlin," he said.
27I'm Jill Robbins.
1Europeans are preparing for the increase in prices of their energy bills. Many plan to try to save energy this winter by turning down the heat and turning off lights. 2But not the 130 people who live in the east German village of Feldheim. 3The little town has been energy self-sufficient for more than ten years. 4Feldheim built a few wind turbines to provide it electricity as an experiment in the 1990s. Then, the village expanded that effort to build a local electrical system, or a grid, and solar panels, batteries, and more turbines. 5A biogas factory built to keep piglets warm was enlarged. It pumps hot water though a village-wide central heating system. A hydrogen production center is also being built. 6Now, 55 wind turbines can be seen (and not heard) on the farmlands around Feldheim. Locals enjoy some of the lowest electricity and natural gas prices in Germany. 7Kathleen Thompson works for a local educational organization, the New Energies Forum. The villagers "can all sleep well at night," she said. "They've got no concerns because the prices are not going to change, not in the immediate future anyway." 8Thousands of visitors from around the world come to see how Feldheim produces green energy. Germany, as a whole, still uses carbon-based fuel for much of its energy needs. 9But the country has invested billions into the growth of renewable energy to reduce its use of climate-changing energy. Even with that investment, carbon-based fuels and nuclear energy were responsible for more than half of the country's total power production in the first six months of 2022. 10A lack of sufficient transmission capacity often leads to shutdowns at wind parks. Carbon-based fuel plants then increase their production to provide electricity to factories in the south. 11Michael Knape is mayor of Treuenbrietzen, the city to which Feldheim belongs. He said letting locals take part in and benefit from the project was key to Feldheim's success. 12The community approved so many turbines that it makes, and exports, about 250 times more electricity than it uses. 13Knape admitted that Feldheim's effort cannot be copied everywhere. But he said such projects could be a big part of a solution. 14"Many little Feldheims could supply at least parts of Berlin," he said. 15I'm Jill Robbins. 16Frank Jordans reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 17________________________________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19sufficient - adj. having or providing as much as is needed 20turbine - n. an engine that has a part with blades that are caused to spin by pressure from water, steam, or air 21solar panel - n. a large, flat piece of equipment that uses the sun's light or heat to create electricity 22battery - n. a device that is placed inside a machine (such as a clock, toy, or car) to supply it with electricity 23transmission - n. the act or process of sending electrical signals to a radio, television, or computer 24capacity - n. the amount of something that can be produced or managed by a factory or company 25benefit - v. to be useful or helpful to (someone or something) 26________________________________________________________________________ 27What do you think of self-sufficient towns? 28We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 29Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.