© Dirk Hanus
Chemnitz is Energy Municipality of the Year 2024
On 17th February 2025, the winner was announced: Chemnitz, in Saxony, took first place in the Energy Municipality of the Year competition.
As one of the European Capitals of Culture, Chemnitz has already received its second award of the year.
At the beginning of 2025, the city’s last coal power plant was decommissioned and replaced by two motorised heating power plants (MHKWs), which generate both electricity and heat for the city. These plants can burn natural gas, biogas, synthetic gas and up to 20% hydrogen in the gas mix. Future plants will be able to run on 100% hydrogen.
Chemnitz aims for climate neutrality by 2040
Chemnitz has set itself an ambitious target to become climate-neutral by 2040 and is already making significant progress. After introducing its own climate action plan in 2019, Chemnitz went on to earn the title of Germany’s Solar Capital of the Year in 2022, with an impressive 290 kilowatts (kW) of solar capacity per 1,000 residents. Given that solar energy in urban areas is mainly harvested from rooftops and facades, it’s no surprise that Chemnitz is also a founding member of the European Creative Rooftop Network. Together with cities like Amsterdam, Antwerp, Barcelona, Belfast, Faro, Gothenburg, Nicosia, and Rotterdam, Chemnitz is working to develop rooftop spaces that integrate photovoltaics, climate adaptation solutions, as well as art and culture.
Renewables meet 10% of the city’s electricity demand
By 2024, renewable energy accounted for 10% of Chemnitz’s electricity demand - double the amount from 2013. A battery storage system with a capacity of around 16 MW provides crucial flexibility for the city’s power grid, saving approximately 46,000 tonnes of CO2 each year. Chemnitz is also involved in the European Energy Award (EEA), a European certification procedure that recognises municipalities for their climate action initiatives.
The city’s heating transition is progressing smoothly in the Chemnitz Brühl district, a historic area from the Gründerzeit (late 19th century), without any rent increases – thanks to targeted funding, lower operating costs, and open communication.
Solar panels on the environmental trail
Solar panels have been installed along an environmental trail, popular with families. Grazing sheep keep the grass short between the solar panels, eliminating the need for machinery. Children can experience both nature and technology in this urban setting. The solar thermal system heats water using solar energy, which is then either fed into the district heating network or stored in a 1,000 cubic metre heat storage system, depending on demand.
Grit Stillger, Head of Urban Renewal at Chemnitz’s City Planning Office, says: “Brühl in Chemnitz, featuring a new low-temperature district heating network (LowEx) and energy-efficient renovation of the historic district, sets an example for ecological, socially responsible and sustainable energy supply.”
The innovative use of wind power, Power-to-X technologies and environmentally friendly hydrogen mobility solutions are also key factors in Chemnitz’s success as Energy Municipality of the Year 2024. For more information about the award and Chemnitz’s efforts, please visit the Renewable Energies Agency’s website here (in German only).