With funding from the Rhineland-Palatinate funding program KIPKI, the Rhein-Hunsrück district is building an open-space photovoltaic system and supporting low-income households in purchasing economical household appliances and balcony power plants.
The Rhineland-Palatinate Climate Protection Minister Katrin Eder has handed over a funding notice of around 1.5 million euros to the Rhein-Hunsrück district. The majority of the money goes into an open-air photovoltaic system to supply all 77 district-owned properties in the Rhein-Hunsrück district. "I am convinced that investments in the climate are investments in the future. Because anyone who protects the climate saves both cash and climate-damaging CO2. Here in the Rhein-Hunsrück district you can already see in many places how municipalities can invest in the quality of life locally thanks to climate protection projects. Instead of spending money on high electricity bills, it is now available for projects that benefit citizens," says Climate Protection Minister Katrin Eder.
The money comes from the Municipal Investment Program for Climate Protection and Innovation (KIPKI), with which all municipalities in Rhineland-Palatinate receive a fixed lump sum to save climate-damaging CO2 and arm themselves against the challenges posed by climate change. In total, KIPKI comprises 250 million euros. There is around 44 euros per inhabitant, which is divided between the district and the municipalities. Each municipality can choose what suits them from a catalog of measures.
In addition to the 1.5 million to the district, further money can flow to the association municipalities that submit an application. This means that further climate protection projects and measures to adapt to the consequences of climate change can also be implemented at the local level.
The Rhein-Hunsrück district has decided on a municipal funding program for low-income households and wants to use 60,000 euros of the KIPKI funding for this. The district invests the majority of around 1.45 million euros in its own electricity generation. To this end, the district is building a ground-mounted PV system at the district-owned company Rhein-Hunsrück Disposal (RHE) in Gondershausen. The electricity generated there is used to supply all 77 district-owned properties, which are to be connected via an electricity balance circuit with a battery storage system.
"The use of our own electricity and the development of the first electricity balance district are a great benefit for all of us because we can permanently reduce the district's electricity costs and keep them stable. Specifically, we are using the KIPKI funds for a 5.8 million euro investment at RHE," says District Administrator Volker Boch. "The principle applies here: We save electricity, CO2 and money for our region in the long term." It is also important to let the citizens directly participate in the KIPKI funds. "That's why we support low-income households by replacing old refrigerators and other "white goods" device groups with more energy-efficient new devices and by purchasing mini photovoltaic systems, so-called "balcony systems. "This means households have more money in their pockets because they have lower energy costs and at the same time we protect the climate," says Bloch.
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