The university has reached a new milestone in the expansion of renewable energies: the output of the photovoltaic systems has exceeded the one megawatt mark. With the addition of systems on the open-air hall, the Language Centre, the new research and training centre, the NeSSy research building and at the Ringebene in Wechloy, the installed capacity has grown by 279 kilowatts this year to 1,019 kilowatts.
The electricity yield of the new systems is around 230,000 kilowatt hours per year. The expansion will save the university 87 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually and reduce its energy costs by 57,000 euros per year. The cost of the investment is around 450,000 euros.
With the installation of the new photovoltaic systems on the Haarentor campus and the Wechloy campus, the university is continuing to drive forward the expansion of renewable energies. It began in 2017 on the Haarentor campus with the construction of solar modules on the library, building A02 (the "bridge" over Uhlhornsweg), the domed roof of the lecture theatre centre and other buildings. This was followed in 2019 by the Wechloy campus, where parts of the main building and the NeSSy research building have now been equipped with photovoltaic modules. In 2022, systems went into operation on the sports building, the fitness and health centre and the lecture hall centre A14. Following this year's expansions, a fourth expansion stage is currently under construction.
The energy-efficient refurbishment of buildings and the supply of renewable energy are two important building blocks on the university's path to becoming climate-neutral by 2030. Following the current expansion, the energy yield of all photovoltaic systems installed at the University of Oldenburg amounts to around 880,000 kilowatt hours per year, which corresponds to the average annual consumption of around 220 four-person households. The university consumes all of the electricity generated itself. This saves around 490 tonnes of CO₂ per year. Most of the financing comes from the university's own funds as part of an intracting model.
