The ground-breaking ceremony for the energy laboratory took place on 18 December 1980 - as the first building on the Wechloy campus.

The energy laboratory was the first of its kind in Germany at the time and had a dual function from the outset: as a laboratory, it was used by researchers led by Prof Dr Joachim Luther, founder of Oldenburg's energy research, for experiments in the field of renewable energies. The building itself was also an experiment, as it focussed on energy supply from renewable sources. At the time, this was a completely new approach that most people simply laughed at.

The Oldenburg researchers were not deterred from trying out new ways of supplying energy at a very early stage - fuelled by the debate about nuclear power and the oil crises of 1973 and 1979. The laboratory had a wind turbine and used solar panels as an energy source. The photovoltaic systems on the roof of the laboratory still generate electricity, contributing to the total of around 880,000 kWh that the university's photovoltaic systems produce each year. This means that the roof of the energy laboratory is home to the oldest operating solar system in Germany. The energy laboratory symbolises the pioneering role that the University of Oldenburg has played in researching alternative and climate-neutral energy sources like almost no other facility.