MSN - AP World http://syn2.thecanadianpress.com:8080/mrss/feed/fcf7391a2f354311807f0501c16bde6a MSN - AP World Copyright © 2010-2018 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved. http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Sat, 27 Jul 2024 06:21:45 +0000 German village not worried about energy bills http://syn2.thecanadianpress.com:8080/mrss/feed/fcf7391a2f354311807f0501c16bde6a/8bcdac1766394155a4f84e4b716977fa 8bcdac1766394155a4f84e4b716977fa Thu, 29 Sep 2022 16:44:55 +0000 SHOTLIST:RESTRICTION SUMMARY:ASSOCIATED PRESSFeldheim - 28 September 20221. Wind turbine, Feldheim village in the backgroundHEADLINE: German eco village unfazed by rising energy costs2. Wide of houses, wind turbines in the backgroundANNOTATION: While Europeans watch their energy bills soar as the war in Ukraine drives up the price of natural gas, oil and electricity,3. Sign reading "Energy self-sufficient district Feldheim", wind turbines in the backgroundANNOTATION: The tiny German village of Feldheim has been energy self-sufficient for a decade. 4. Wide of solar panels on roof, pan to village and wind turbinesANNOTATION: The village of 130 built solar panels, wind turbines and other ways to generate its own eco-friendly energy to keep the lights on and homes warm. 5. Close of display inside a wind turbine showing wind speed and power produced  ANNOTATION: Now the residents enjoy some of the cheapest electricity and natural gas rates in Germany.6. SOUNDBITE (German) Siegfried Kappert, Feldheim resident:"We looked for a path and found one. I can say, quite honestly, that we're proud of this."7. Top of biogas plantANNOTATION: And now the residents don't have to worry about the price of their energy bills.8. SOUNDBITE (English) Kathleen Thompson, Feldheim New Energies Forum:"They can all sleep well at night. They've got no concerns because the prices are not going to change, not in the immediate future anyway."9. Various of of wind turbinesANNOTATION: The community approved so many turbines that it actually exports about 250 times as much electricity as it consumes.STORYLINE:Europeans are opening their energy bills with trepidation these days, bracing for hefty price hikes as utility companies pass on the surging cost of natural gas, oil and electricity tied to Russia's war in Ukraine. Many are trying to conserve energy by turning down the heating and shutting off lights this winter.Not the people of Feldheim, population 130.Located about an hour and a half south of Berlin, this modest but well-kept village has been energy self-sufficient for more than a decade.A bold experiment launched in the mid-1990s saw Feldheim erect a handful of wind turbines to provide electricity to the village. Then it built a local grid, solar panels, battery storage and more turbines. A biogas plant put up to keep piglets warm was expanded, providing extra income to the farmers' cooperative, which pumps hot water through a village-wide central heating system. A hydrogen production facility is also under construction.Now, 55 wind turbines can be seen but not heard on the sloping farmlands around Feldheim and residents enjoy some of the cheapest electricity and natural gas rates in Germany.Feldheim's hands-on approach to producing its own eco-friendly energy draws thousands of visitors from around the world each year and contrasts with the way Germany as a whole still relies on fossil fuel imports for much of its needs.That became painfully apparent when Russia invaded Ukraine, upending the reliance Germany and other European countries had on Moscow's coal, oil and natural gas.===========================================================Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: info@aparchive.com(ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. German village not worried about energy bills