Solar energy: Gütersloh in first place - thanks to Arvato
Subject: Environment
Country: Germany
Category: Project
Gütersloh in first place, far ahead of Munich, Cologne or Düsseldorf in a ranking of major cities: In the "Wattbewerb" ("Watt Contest") called by Fossil Free Karlsruhe, Parents for Future Germany, Fridays for Future Germany and Scientists for Future Germany and launched in February 2021, the city of Gütersloh has held the top spot in the "Solar Challenge" city comparison among all participating major cities in Germany for several weeks. This is due in no small part to the massive expansion of solar energy by Arvato. The company has installed large-scale photovoltaic systems on a total of seven hall roofs in Gütersloh, which generate a total of around 3.35 million kilowatt hours per year - enough energy for around a thousand households.
"Which city will be the first to double its installed photovoltaic capacity?" That's the brief for the nationwide "wattage competition," for which more than 200 cities and towns have registered. As of June 25, Gütersloh has achieved a value of 84 watts peak per inhabitant for the period since the start of the "Watt competition", beating Cologne (26th place), Düsseldorf (50th) and Munich (52nd) by a long way.
Leif Pollex, climate officer of the city of Gütersloh, sees the commitment of large companies as a signal with an impact on private households: "The use of roof surfaces for solar energy must become standard," he says. "A competition provides an opportunity for comparison and is an incentive." The fact that Gütersloh is now at the top of the ranking and has also recorded remarkable growth overall also shows that the "Wattbewerb" is a good marketing tool: "It generates attention - and that is good for the progress of the expansion with solar energy," says the climate officer.
Contact
Gernot Wolf
Communications Service Businesses (Arvato Group, Bertelsmann Marketing Services)
Phone: +49 (0) 5241 80-416 25
Fax: +49 (0) 5241-80-33 15
