It began in 1997 when a working group on climate protection and energy set an ambitious target of meeting 100% of Lüchow-Dannenberg's electricity needs with renewable energies. The district was motivated by the need to to improve environmental stewardship, and the need to address high regional unemployment. On May 1, 2011, Lüchow-Dannenberg reached its goal - 4 years ahead of schedule.

The district's power mix is a diverse mix of technologies that generates 300 million kWh annually. 3% of the mix comes from 630 solar PV systems totaling 10 MW. 34% comes from 24 biogas facilities totally 15 MW. And 63% comes from 71 wind turbines totaling 108 MW. There is also some small river-based hydropower. Lüchow-Dannenberg has taken its renewable energy efforts beyond electricity to also include the heating and transportation sectors. For instance, the village of Jameln has a biogas fueling station for vehicles, and the village of Püggen heats all its homes with a combined heat and power plant. One school in Dannenberg is heated entirely from wood chips derived from local forest waste. The district has also created a higher education institution called the Renewable Energy Academy, which offers a range of coursework pertaining to renewables, including science, law, finance and management.