The solar cooperative Universitetets Energifællesskab F.M.B.A (UEF) is set up as an association (“forening” in Danish) independent of project AURORA in 2023. Members of UEF co-own the crowdfunded rooftop photovoltaic installation. We expect UEF will last after project AURORA ends, as long as the solar installation is owned by its members.
A crowdfunding campaign was run from November 2023 to April 2024, ending up with 121 members subscribing to 900 shares. You can see the steps and timeline in the graph below. To get on the waiting list in the crowdfunding, you can contact UEF’s board of directors.
Frequently Asked Questions
The energy community is set up as a solar cooperative (Universitetets Energifællesskab F.M.B.A or UEF), which owns the rooftop solar installation. The cooperative sells the electricity that is produced by the solar installation to Aarhus University at a fixed price, and members of UEF get economic returns every year.
Since it is a cooperative, citizens in Aarhus, especially students and staff at AU, can buy one or more shares and become co-owners. Every year, based on the shares you own, you get economic returns.
We understand that students probably do not have huge savings so we try to make it affordable to everyone. The cost of one share is roughly equivalent to 109 W solar rooftop system. Based on the offer from 1KOMMA5 Danmark and factoring in insurance cost, each share costs 900 kr. For more details, please refer to UEF’s website.
It depends on how much electricity is produced and sold in a year, and of course on how many shares you own. On average, 1 kW solar system generates between 800-1000 kWh of electricity in a year in Denmark. We estimate that it will take between 10-20 years to recover the initial crowdfunding cost, while the life time of the installation is expected to be at least 25 years.
The site for the crowdfunded rooftop solar installation is Nobelparken. It houses a number of studies from the Faculty of Arts. A preliminary analysis suggests 85% of the electricity produced by the installation can be used on-site, and the rest can be sold to the grid.
For more FAQs, please visit UEF’s website.
