From the E-Werk to the lecture hall

The Senior Citizens’ College at Zittau University of Applied Sciences/Görlitz was once again a guest at Stadtwerke Weißwasser GmbH, offering interested residents and local elected officials from Weißwasser and the surrounding area the opportunity to gain first-hand information on an important energy policy topic while also learning about a regionally based research project.

This year’s event continued the series on the topic of “Heat Supply.” The first presentation took place in 2024, when Professor Dr.-Ing. Alexander Kratzsch spoke about the “AQVA-Heat” research project, in which the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences (HSZG) and Stadtwerke Weißwasser are participating. This year, this was followed by a presentation titled “Challenges of an Ecological, Economic, and Socially Sustainable Heat Supply” by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Kunick.

In addition to interested citizens and several local officials, members of the “Kraftwerk Boxberg/Weißwasser Senior Citizens’ Association” once again participated in the seminar. Roland Gelbrich, an engineer from Weißwasser who previously worked in the coal mining industry, has been actively involved in educational programs for older adults for over two decades. “We are very pleased that the university and the municipal utility company are providing us with up-to-date information on the status of the energy transition and ongoing scientific research projects in the region.”

The event partnership with Stadtwerke Weißwasser GmbH demonstrates the importance of regional discussion forums. The small-scale “Senior College on Site in the Region” initiative is one way the HSZG brings its teaching and research to the northern part of the Görlitz district and the region as a whole.