Gelsenkirchen Gets a Sunroof

Anyone traveling to Gelsenkirchen by train will be able to marvel at the city’s new ecological “calling card�E Just in time for the kick-off of Germany 2006, Gelsenkirchen’s latest photovoltaic installation was hooked up to the city network.

When the sun comes out over Gelsenkirchen, it heads straight for the renovated central station, with its new photovoltaic installation. FIFA World Cup fans arriving in the city cannot fail to notice this tangible representation of Gelsenkirchen’s very real commitment to ecology.

It also fits in with the Green-Goal initiative, which is designed to reduce the negative effects of the world’s biggest football tournament on the environment. Gelsenkirchen, or “the Estuary City�Eas it is known, is committed to implementing Green Goal’s aims of using, wherever possible, regenerative, low emission energy sources.

The 71 glass modules, containing around 3,000 solar cells, cover a surface of 110m2 and are able to produce up to 10.5 Kilowatts, making an average annual output of 5,500 Kilowatt-hours of emission-free solar energy. Moreover, the modules were not imported from abroad, but actually produced in Gelsenkirchen, making it a source not only of environmental friendly energy but also of pride for those behind the project, as it both generates electricity and drives the local economy.

Gelsenkirchen takes the train
The Green Goal initiative aims to persuade half the 650,000 visitors traveling in and around Gelsenkirchen during the tournament to use buses and trains. It is an ambitious target as only 30 percent of the average Bundesliga crowd uses public transport to reach the ground. (The majority arrive in cars.)

To boost that figure to the magic 50 percent, city authorities in Gelsenkirchen have been working for more than a year on a transportation concept for the FIFA World Cup. At its heart lies the tramline linking the central station and the stadium. The service will be extremely regular, with a tram every two minutes at peak times.

For fans that still choose to travel to the city by car, Gelsenkirchen will provide several thousand free Park and Ride spaces, served by shuttle buses to the stadium and to the city center for Public Viewing or the Fan Festival. A proportion of the buses have been refitted with particle filters especially for the tournament. Motorists may use the P+R car-parks on non-match days too. For a 5-Euro charge, car park users receive a parking ticket which doubles as a travel card, allowing everyone in the vehicle to take the tram to the Fan Festival free of charge.

LINK :
FIFA 2006 World Cup in Germany