The EU has set itself the ambitious target of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. To achieve this, many measures will be needed in the coming years. One of them is to speed up the expansion of renewable energies.

‘Just like wind, the sun doesn't charge.’ Mona Neubaur, NRW‘s Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy during a visit to the floating solar power plant in Bislich-Ellerdonk on the Lower Rhine.

By 2030, Germany wants renewable energy to account for 80 percent of its electricity consumption. According to the Federal Environment Agency, last year, for the first time, half of Germany's electricity was generated from renewable sources, partly due to weather conditions - more wind than in the previous two years. In contrast, electricity generation from photovoltaics (PV) increased only slightly in 2023. This is due to lower solar irradiation, which was offset by a strong increase in new PV installations. Thorsten Kempkens can confirm that there is a lot of movement in the photovoltaic market. He is one of the two managing directors of EnergieExpert Rhein-Ruhr GmbH, which was founded in 2009 as a provider of PV systems and has since planned and installed 6,000 systems. The Hamburg-based start-up 1KOMMA5°, founded by former Tesla Germany boss Philipp Schröder, will take over the medium-sized Erkrath-based company next year. The acquisition is based on Schröder's wellthought- out corporate strategy of buying up regional suppliers and craftsmen in the PV industry and thus becoming a leader in the development of renewable energy technology. “As the national competitors in the market have massive problems with a lack of skilled labour, he wanted to do things differently: to be on site with tradesmen and showrooms in order to be able to offer a complete service across the board,” explains Thorsten Kempkens. For 1KOMMA5°, it is important to only take over training companies in order to invest in human resources in the long term, and to keep employees in the company as much as possible in order to maintain existing networks.

Thorsten Kempkens and his partner Markus Beinhauer have built up such a network over the past few years and maintain good contacts with various municipal utilities, for example. From the end of the year, the sales department and showroom will also be located on the EUREF Campus at Düsseldorf Airport, while the 70 employees in the assembly department will remain in Erkrath. The fact that Kempkens and his team are expanding is an indication of the positive development of the market, even though the PV system business has been subject to considerable fluctuations in recent years: after a boom in the years 2010 to 2012, the market collapsed massively two years later. “Many companies closed down, others moved abroad. Germany and its manufacturers had previously been at the forefront of technology. Although the market recovered from 2015, it never returned to the level of 2010. Although there was a significant increase in PV systems at the start of the war in Ukraine, demand has now returned to normal,” he explains.

„To be on site with tradesmen and showrooms in order to be able to offer a complete service across the board.“

The unique selling point of 1KOMMA5°: the intelligent energy manager ‘Heartbeat’, which networks all electrical components with each other and always buys the lowest electricity price from the exchange.

A unique selling point of 1KOMMA5° is the intelligent energy manager 'Heartbeat', which networks all the relevant electrical components: PV system, heat pump, wallbox for the electric car; it also uses the in-house electricity tariff 'Dynamic Pulse' to always take the lowest price from the exchange, which means that even negative electricity prices can be achieved. “The market is in sharp decline, but 1KOMMA5° is growing. We hope that more and more commercial customers will become interested in our concept.”

The North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy (MWIKE) hopes so too. That's why Mona Neubaur, NRW's Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, is encouraging industry and trade to make the switch: “Just like wind, solar doesn't cost anything. Renewable energies are not only the future from an ecological point of view, but also from an economic one. In the first half of 2024, renewable energies will cover almost 60 percent of Germany's electricity consumption. Photovoltaics is an important part of this, but we need to do more. And that is what we are doing in NRW.” To help people make the right decision, the state of NRW has launched a campaign that includes information measures and the 'progres.nrw climate protection technology' funding programme. The programme focuses on rooftop photovoltaics, which has been significantly expanded in recent years. The aim is to use every suitable roof for a PV system and to improve the conditions for ground-mounted or agricultural PV systems, which are financially supported by the state government; the MWIKE has also launched the campaign 'More photovoltaics on commercial roofs'. All these measures appear to have been well received: According to MWIKE, more than 850 applications with a volume of more than €12 million were approved in 2023.

Schmincke produces the finest artists' colours and has been relying on renewable energies with solar panels on the company roof since 2010.

One company that has been involved in renewable energies for a long time is the medium-sized company H. Schmincke & Co. GmbH & Co. KG. The company produces the finest artists' paints, from oil, watercolour and acrylic to pastel and lino printing inks. Sustainability is an important pillar of the company: Schmincke's entire portfolio is produced in Erkrath and distributed to a total of 65 countries. “We have followed Responsible Care from the very beginning and are committed to responsible behaviour in the areas of environment, safety and health,” explains Christiane Möller, Marketing Manager at Schmincke. The family-run company, which has won the Brand of the Century award several times, is also active in the local network in Erkrath and Düsseldorf and has been using photovoltaics since 2010. Since then, solar panels have been installed on a large part of the roof of the production facility, generating around 70 percent of Schmincke's electricity consumption, which corresponds to a CO2 saving of 93 percent from 2018 to 2021. In order to expand, a new site has been purchased. “With the new property and the conversion measures, we are pursuing a transformation concept to become CO2 neutral. This applies to both heat and electricity. This approach is not only ecological, but also economical,” says Christiane Möller. However, the company is already taking a creative approach to energy efficiency. “This year, for the fourth year in a row, we are switching to a four-day week from November to March to reduce energy costs during the cold season. In previous years, we have been able to save 15 to 20 percent of energy without much effort.” An example of best practice that other companies can easily follow. It is also worth finding out about the many funding opportunities offered by the state of NRW. Switching to renewable energy definitely pays off - not only for the environment, but also financially in the medium term. •

Words: Katja Vaders
Pictures: MWIKE NRW/R. Sondermann, 1KOMMA5°, E4C NRW/B. Hickmann, Schmincke

Here Comes the Sun