Freiamt is a small town of approximately 4200 people in Germany's Black Forest. Taking advantage of laws that incentivize renewable energy, such as the feed-in tariff (Renewable Sources Act), this town uses a variety of renewable energy resources to produce more electricity than it needs—and make a profit by selling the excess to surrounding areas.
Freiamt consumes 12,000 MWh annually and generates 15,400 MWh annually with renewable resources. The breakdown by technology is as follows (2009 data):
Freiamt has also made progress on shifting to renewable heating for water and space. As of 2009, 120 homes were heated using efficient wood pellets, 75 homes used wood chips, and 150 homes used solar thermal collectors.
The town aims to increase its renewable heating use, as well as to shift to renewables for transportation.
