- Target: 100% renewable energy
- Status: In progress
- RES: Solar photovoltaics and biogas plants
- Implementation: Kronprinzenkoog is a small town in the Dithmarschen district near the North Sea in Germany. In the 1980s, the town installed its first wind turbines. In 2009, the 150 kW-500kW 77 turbines were replaced with more powerful, more efficient 2-3 MW models. Today, these windmills feed about 200 million kWh into the grid, enough to power 50,000 German homes. Two of the windmills are collectively owned by 140 villagers who had invested 3.6 million euros and who are now receiving a 15-20% return on their investment. The good returns can be attributed to the German feed-in tariff law (The Renewable Sources Act also known as the EEG) which guarantees that anyone in Germany who produces renewable electricity will be paid a fixed rate for the type of renewable electricity they feed into the grid for 20 years. This law also guarantees access of renewable energy projects into the grid and makes utilities pay for any necessary grid upgrades. In other words, the EEG allows regular people to become power producers and get paid properly. In addition to the feed-in tariff law, highly efficient and simple permitting processes for renewable electricity speeds up installation. The town has also implemented a 500 kW biogas plant on a farm, which produces enough energy to power 3,200 households, and 7,117 kW of solar PV have also been installed in recent years. Most solar roofs are paid back within 10 years, after which owners get to keep the profits. To move towards renewable transportation, the town has opened an electric bike/car rental facility powered by a solar rooftop, and is planning several solar powered electric charging stations along the whole German north coast.
- Population: 811 (2017)
- Area: 28.85 km2 (11.14 sq mi)
- Link: https://www.shz.de/lokales/norddeutsche-rundschau/kronprinzenkoog-ist-sonnenstark-id1064511.html
- In German
- In German