Wahrenholz, Lower Saxony, Germany
The leadership and population of Wahrenholz are characterized by a strong awareness of the importance of a sustainable community and the need to design transformation processes quickly and prudently. They understand that they are living in a time of change and must find answers to numerous challenges, particularly climate change, resource use, and an aging population. They aim to preserve their cultural heritage, provide modern and essential services, and ensure the economic and social viability of the rural community, as well as the mobility of all population groups.
In their realized and planned measures, the municipality of Wahrenholz is distinguished by a holistic approach, the ability to set priorities, and the endeavor to consider and integrate as many thematic aspects as possible. For example, the renovation of cultural monuments has been sensibly linked with the creation of social facilities, the improvement of local supply, and economic activities. The issue of climate change is also addressed from various perspectives, in conjunction with particularly sustainable approaches in agriculture, exemplary mobility solutions, and innovations in the generation and storage of renewable energies. Collaboration and transparency are regarded as important principles of action. Thereby they succeed in raising awareness and achieving broad understanding and high participation from the population in tackling the priority issues and tasks, such as environmental, nature, and water protection, where the farming community even takes on a pioneering role.
The key projects undertaken are aimed at ensuring a high quality of life for all age groups and generations, guaranteeing environmentally friendly and climate-resilient municipal development, and combining the protection of cultural heritage with the requirements of modern times. In doing so, they address issues of great importance – not only for other rural communities, but also for society as a whole – in a highly innovative, professional, and integrative manner.
The issue of climate change is addressed in the municipality of Wahrenholz in a problem-conscious, professional, and integrative manner across several thematic areas. One example is the “Climate Alliance Village Development and Agriculture“ project, where climate protection and climate adaptation are addressed within the agricultural sector as part of a model initiative. The importance of comprehensive nature conservation is highlighted, and understanding of the necessary measures is promoted. The insights gained serve as recommendations for action for the agricultural businesses, which have already adopted them and changed their farming practices. This is expected to result in significant greenhouse gas savings, as calculated by the experts involved.
Floods and droughts, as well as low water levels, which have particularly affected agriculture and residential areas in recent years, were the trigger for the formation of a river basin partnership. Together with neighboring municipalities and cities, the goal is to strengthen the Ise River and its tributaries as a whole and sustainably improve the water balance. To ensure professional support, the partners are financing an engineering position for this purpose.
Other notable activities include equipping those responsible for the maintenance yard and green space care with electric vehicles, as well as the community-based creation of an insect-friendly and climate-resistant rock garden.
A Bertelsmann study from 2012, which predicted a population decline and aging for rural communities, was the catalyst for a bundle of measures aimed at enabling people to remain in Wahrenholz even in old age.
To live up to their new guiding principle, the municipality acquired a plot of land with several vacant buildings in the center of town, covering an area of about one hectare, and built an aesthetically pleasing senior living complex, which also offers a high and extremely comprehensive standard of care. For example, a residential group for people in need of outpatient care was established.
The creation of a meeting center in the “Alte Schmiede“ (Old Forge), which promotes interaction and communication, and the construction of a medical center by the municipality, both located in close proximity to the senior living complex and thus also in the village center, are other important measures that enable the people of Wahrenholz to live well-cared-for and dignified in their home community until an old age.
An important addition to the infrastructural offerings is the specially founded association “Bürgergemeinschaft Wahrenholz e.V.“. It serves as a contact point for assistance, activities, and all questions related to aging and is a driving force in addressing the needs of older people.
Wahrenholz pursues a forward-looking energy policy and pays great attention to it. The municipality boldly embraces new technologies, utilizes local natural and economic resources, and has made it a principle to consider individual energy sectors – electricity, heat, mobility, and industry – together. It sets an exemplary standard by bringing all stakeholders to the table and convincing the population of the need for an energy transition.
A particularly outstanding project is the “Ecological Heating Concept for the New Village Center“, with which a highly innovative and efficient path was taken as early as 2019. A central ice-energy storage system – a buried water cistern with a capacity of 250,000 liters and built-in extraction and regeneration pipes – serves as an energy source which, in combination with heat pump technology, covers the heating and cooling needs of the revitalized and newly constructed buildings in the village center through a district heating network.
District heating is seen as a pillar of municipal heat supply, especially since a large portion of the building stock is only partially suitable for the use of heat pumps. Thanks to the strong agricultural sector and with support from investments by the population, privately operated large-scale woodchip heating plants now supply 380 households with climate-friendly energy. The woodchips come from the region‘s forests and are a by-product of forestry and the timber industry. The district heating system is designed to allow adjustments for new technologies, such as waste heat from hydrogen production.
The municipality maintains control over the planning and implementation of renewable energy generation facilities to ensure alignment with its strategy of intelligent sector coupling. Contracts with project developers go beyond legal requirements and safeguard the town‘s urban planning interests. These include the installation of grid-supporting energy storage systems for ground-mounted PV systems, the production of hydrogen from surplus electricity via electrolysis, which is to be stored or used elsewhere, and the direct delivery of electricity from wind and solar parks to local consumers via a direct cable.
While the expansion of wind power, which is viewed positively, is determined by regional planning, the planning authority for ground-mounted photovoltaics lies with the municipality. Considering the significant land-use conflict with agriculture, the municipal council has ensured through self-imposed guidelines that particularly fertile arable land – in Wahrenholz, this is 85 % – cannot be taken out of food production, and that only agri-PV systems can be approved on such good soils.
Evaluated: 2024
