Trade + industry

Tropical cyclone Idai has left a trail of devastation in southern Africa. In Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, around two million people are in urgent need of assistance. There is a lack of drinking water, food and medicines. Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi are among the poorest countries in the world. Where there used to be frequent drought, the few fertile fields are now under water. Rivers burst their banks, flash floods and landslides threaten settlements.
Hundreds of thousands of people have lost everything. The situation is dramatic.

The ambassador for Food Security in Africa, Dr. Brylyne Chitsunge of the African Parliament in Johannesburg has asked for support from Peter Schrum as President of the BRM (Federal Association for Regenerative Mobility e.V.).
Fast, unbureaucratic help was required. With Peter Schrum, the phone was no longer quiet until all necessary steps for a first aid delivery were initiated.
SUNfarming and our South African Food & Energy partners from CFAM Technologies today ship the first 10 tons of food aid to Mozambique. Transport from South Africa is organized by Coca Cola and distributed by Mozambique's Ministry for Disaster Management to children and the elderly in the crisis areas.
The aid package, funded by SUNfarming, CFAM and Botselo Holdings, consists of the dry product Pre-Cooked Porridge, which consists of corn, soy, grains, minerals and vitamins. With only 14 euro cents per day, two whole-meal meals ensure the life of a person.

As a SUNfarming Group and BRM, we are happy to provide the needy with fast food emergency aid“, explains Peter Schrum, President of BRM and SUNfarming Chairman. „We have already developed the first porridge whole-foods based on our Food & Energy Public Private Partnership project launched at KfW / DEG since 2013, at North-West University in Potchefstroom, South Africa. In addition to the vegetable and fish production under the solar modules in the training center, SF Porridge was provided in the townships to provide basic services to our staff and trainees. The existing partnership with CFAM Technologies, led by Prof LJ Grobler, has enabled our fast and efficient relief effort to be delivered to Mozambique. Today, through years of experience and networks in Africa, we are able to provide large quantities of whole foods in 1 and 10 kilo packages for disaster areas and the needy at very low cost in the short term.
Our first aid delivery is leaving South Africa today. 10 tonnes of whole foods ensure survival for 10,000 children for three weeks.
Should additional funding be available, we will immediately send more trucks with food to Mozambique within a few days, "so Peter Schrum.

The municipalities of Reisdorf, Wegleben, Wolmirsleben, Harzgerode, Hennickendorf and Zahna are committed to sustainability with the construction of solar energy systems, thus making a valuable contribution to a regional energy supply. The plants were partly completed in November or EEG compliant completed until 31th of decembre this year, the grid connection is a short time later.
Each 750 kWp plant supplies clean and green electricity for more than 240 households. The CO2 savings per plant are 440,000 kg / year, on average as many as 165 middle-class cars (8l / 100km) emit per year.

"Our range of investors spans the entire breadth, from project development to service and monitoring, all from one source. We have developed a unique quality assurance system for banks and investors. Our PV components are based exclusively on high-quality materials. In addition to the certification by the TÜV Rheinland and the Photovoltaikinstitut Berlin, SUNfarming experts for quality assurance check the module factories unannounced and monitor the production for all technical components according to a particularly strict system.
An average of 7% additional capacity from our systems over the past few years confirms the premium quality of our components, "explains Martin Tauschke, SUNfarming Managing Director.

A total of 200 kWp SUNfarming Solar systems provide the 2008 completed complex, including a spa with brine basin and swimming pool, with solar power in the future. Installed 120 kWp on the former cowshed and 80 kWp distributed on 5 carports. An energy concept was established even before the start of construction. In addition to the PV systems, heat is obtained from heat pumps with deep bores. A Eventsaal with 200 seats is heated with floor and wall heating. In principle, only LED lighting is used and an energy-saving technology ensures the water treatment.
"In the future, the hotel will be able to operate with renewable energy alone. This is probably unique for Germany and the project is waiting for imitation, "explains Julius Jäger, SUNfarming project manager.

This is another important step towards the realization of the first large SUNfarming oasis for Food & Energy plants in Germany.
The metalworking Butting Group provides almost 3 ha of land in Knesebeck for the construction. The parcel is located directly behind the premises and will be leased to the project. The roofs of the solar greenhouses are partially occupied with PV modules for power generation, the area in the greenhouse under the modules is used for the cultivation of regionally produced food.
KoNaMo is based in Berlin, where actors and strategies, technologies and application scenarios for sustainable mobility in Germany are brought together.
"The Butting GmbH is an optimal project partner for us because the power is 100% accepted on weekends," explains Holger Schönherr SUNfarming project manager.
"With our Food & Energy facilities, we can give around 20 people from crisis areas, long-term unemployed and people with disabilities a chance to qualify for the first job market each year," adds Holger Schönherr.
In addition, managers should also be trained to take care of the operation and the marketing. According to the city council, the company's partners are the Oskar Kämmer School and the Federal Employment Agency.
The SUNfarming Food & Energy Training concept of solar greenhouses has been successfully applied and tested in Africa. South Africa has the best experience with this concept and we want to establish this concept in Germany as well.
The goal is to start construction by the middle of next year.

In the municipalities of Wolmirsleben, Wegeleben and Hennickendorf in Saxony-Anhalt, 750 kWp were ever realised on former landfill sites, a further 750 kWp were completed in Harzgerode in the district of Märkisch Oderland as a free-field plant.

"Every year the four plants together produce proud 3.2 million kilowatt-kilowatts of electricity. This is enough to supply electricity from solar energy for about 900 households over 30 years. 11,000 built-in SUNfarming quality modules ensure a CO2 saving of 1,700 tonnes per year", explains Martin Hinneburg SUNfarming head of sales and project calculation.

Landfills are as sites for Solar Park as created, no shading, conveniently located and the network connection in the immediate vicinity. Administration and municipal policy advocated a leasing of the area and the development of a photovoltaic system since other uses are often not to be reconciled with the context of a former landfill.
In addition to the sustainable generation of energy, the solar parks have additional financial benefits for the counties, which has an impact on the costs of the citizens.
Read more about the SUNfarming Own-Electricity-Concept for municipalities

Another SUNfarming solar park was successfully completed in November in Roggentin in Mecklenburg Vorpommern. With a total output of 750 kWp, it supplies clean, green electricity for more than 240 households. The CO2 savings of the solar park in Roggentin amount to considerable 443.305 kg / year.

Asked: How much CO2 does a car produce?
Again and again there is talk of the climate killer CO2. The invisible gas is partly responsible for the warming of the climate and transforms our planet into a greenhouse. But although much is discussed, many of us have no feeling for it. How much carbon dioxide - or CO2 for short - does your car produce?
A concrete example: You drive a mid-range car, consumption: 8l / 100km; the tank volume is 55 liters. Since gasoline is lighter than water, this results in about 40 kilograms of gasoline per refueling process. This gas is burned in the engine. In the process, the carbon in the gasoline combines with the oxygen from the air, resulting in CO2.
One kilo of gasoline, which consists essentially of carbon, thus leads to over 3 kilograms of CO2 in the combustion! Thus, there is much more carbon dioxide than the gas weighs. With every tankful of fuel, our car produces about 150 kilos of CO2 (exactly: 144.6 kg) and after just under 9 x full tanks we have produced as much CO2 while driving as our car weighs! With an annual mileage of 12,000 kilometers per year, we blow up twice the weight of our car on average in the air! Even more with super-powered sports cars. Each year.
The CO2 savings of the solar park in Roggentin amount to 443,305 kg / year, as many as 165 cars emit in the example per year.