11.09.2023
Source: Energy & Management Powernews
The "Sisters of the Redeemer" in Würzburg (Bavaria) have used the complete renovation of the monastery roof to build a large solar plant. The first in the Free State on a large monument.
20,000 solar tiles, 1,530 square meters of roof surface: the new photovoltaic system is one of the most important building blocks of the complete renovation of the monastery area of the Sisters of the Redeemer in Würzburg. By the end of the year, large parts of the convent in the middle of the old town are to be supplied by renewable energy. The historic building complex, a four-winged complex with a baroque core, has been the seat of the congregation for more than 170 years. The output of the new roof system is 160 kW, and the yield is stated at 145,380 kWh annually.
Finding a solution that is both compatible with the monument and sustainable was, according to the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments, the goal - and a challenge - from the very beginning. "As early as 2019, we decided that all of the congregation's facilities worldwide should become climate-neutral by 2037. The installation of a photovoltaic system on the buildings of the first construction phase is an important step towards achieving this goal," explained Superior General Monika Edinger.
New regulations have facilitated project
Meanwhile, the roofers are almost finished, and the building is well equipped for wind and weather. But not only that, because what hardly anyone on the ground suspects: above the heads of the sisters, Bavaria's first solar power plant has been built on a cityscape-defining monument complex. "Monument protection with model function: Imitation expressly desired! The model project of the Sisters of the Redeemer in Würzburg shows how monument protection and renewable energies can be harmonized in a contemporary way," emphasized Bavarian Minister of Art Markus Blume (CSU). The new Bavarian monument protection law facilitates the employment of regenerativ energies in the monument range and points new perspectives out for cultural property.
On the baroque congregation house Indach solar modules were integrated into a new roof covering. These small-scale roof tiles resemble the historical inventory. The project was supported by 420,000 euros in government funding.
"The Redeemer Sisters' project is really exciting because the large roof can serve as a test area for the efficiency of such systems. What is particularly nice from a monument preservation point of view is that the modern modules fit wonderfully into Würzburg's unique old town silhouette," said Mathias Pfeil, general conservator of the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments.
Author: Günter Drewnitzky
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