A group of students from the Institute for the Environment of the University of North Carolina is currently on a six week field trip through Europe, visiting what they feel are the leading places for Renewable Energy and Sustainability: German cities Freiburg and Hamburg as well as Copenhagen/Denmark and Malmoe/Sweden. City planning and landscaping, Regional Development, Renewable Energy and the German Energiewende (energy turn-around) are the focus of the trip. The students pursue the question as to how and which of the strategies regarding Renewables are applicable for the US – something SunEnergy as well is looking forward to seeing in the near future!

SunEnergy’s CSO Gunther Stoermer, a long-standing PV-expert, presented the group with the hard facts about the German energy turn-around and the role of photovoltaics for a 100% renewable energy scenario. A short trip to the famous Hamburg Hagenbeck zoo gave the students a hands-on example of an energy contracting scheme: for three years now, a PV installation carefully designed by SunEnergy’s engineers, generates the electricity necessary to run the cooling system for the polar bear area. This guarantees a long-term reliable and cost-effective supply of clean energy for the zoo. Dr. Greg Gangi, teacher and field trip organizer, expressed his gratitude for the detailed insight on the energy turn-around and the role of PV and added that, according to him, “these students will help push an “Energiewende” in the United States in the future.