Report to Society 2024

Environmental

Energy transition and citizen participation

Investing in energy transition and reaping the returns

The Wengeberg is the highest elevation in the Ennepe-Ruhr district. A few weeks ago, it was crowned by a new landmark: the local energy supplier AVU has installed a wind turbine with a remarkable height of 192.4 metres. For comparison: Cologne Cathedral is 157 metres high. The plant is expected to produce around 8 million kilowatt hours per year. This corresponds to the consumption of around 2,300 private households.

Another special feature of the wind turbine: citizens of the Ennepe-Ruhr district were able to participate in the project. Sparkasse an Ennepe und Ruhr launched its own S climate bond for this purpose. This savings bank bond is limited to five years and carries an attractive interest rate. The sale started in March 2024, when the wind turbine was connected to the grid. The demand was huge.

Savings banks in other regions of Germany are also offering their customers the opportunity to benefit from the upswing in renewable energies.For example, Kreissparkasse Melle, in cooperation with a local wind turbine operator, issued a citizens’ savings bank bond that could be purchased in size categories ranging from EUR 1,000 to EUR 5,000. Investors benefit from a higher return, which is borne by the operator of the wind turbines. Here, too, demand was enormous: the total contingent of 1 million available from February 2024 was very quickly exhausted.

Bringing citizens on board and involving them in the promotion of wind or solar energy makes sense in several ways. On the one hand, the savings banks give everyone access to meaningful financial provision. On the other hand, such offers increase the acceptance of regional energy projects.

This is because the larger projects in particular are often the subject of controversial discussions. However, such investment opportunities make the people of the region co-creators, actors and ultimately profiteers of the energy transition.

31.5%
share of domestic electricity generation makes wind energy the most important source of energy in Germany

Investing money because the savings bank is committed to the energy transition

The Esslingen-Nürtingen and Ostalb district savings banks are taking a slightly different approach: they are offering their customers a savings bank bond called “Impulsgeber Energienetze”. The paper is the result of a pilot project that both institutions developed together with the Baden-Württemberg Savings Banks Association. In 2023, a consortium led by SV SparkassenVersicherung acquired almost a quarter of the shares in grid operator Transnet BW.

The Sparkassenbrief Impulsgeber Energienetze enables customers of the savings banks to benefit indirectly from the Transnet BW commitment of the two banks. In the knowledge of the commitment of the respective savings banks, customers invest their money there in a familiar and secure form of savings and receive an attractive interest rate in return. The pilot project has been so successful that other institutions involved in the consortium want to follow suit: the savings banks in Bodensee, Ludwigsburg, Offenburg and Rottweil will soon also be offering their own energy grid savings bonds (as of February 2025).