The Solarcamp Freiburg took place between 21 August and 8 September in Nimburg. The 50 participants were divided into two groups of 25 people each, who each went through the same exciting programme in the two consecutive weeks: In the first week of the camp, all participants first learned the theoretical background of solar technology and successfully passed the exam to become an Electrotechnically Instructed Person (EUP) on Wednesday. FocusEnergie, Balkon Solar e.V., Engineers without Borders and Ageff supported the camp with their experts. On Thursday and Friday, the participants went into practice. Under the guidance of employees from Ageff, S:FLEX and FocusEnergie, specially made practice roofs were covered with solar modules. In particular, the various substructures for different roofs and tiles were discussed and demonstrated.
But leisure time was not neglected this week either: as the camp was located directly at the lake, swimming was possible. In addition, a film evening, barbecue and a games evening were organised so that the camp participants could get to know each other and spend time together outside the main programme.
Special attention was also paid to providing food that was as organic as possible. Not only was the food offered exclusively vegan, but there was also a lot of “food sharing”. There were no limits to ingenuity, and even die-hard non-vegans enjoyed the meals so much that they didn’t have to do without anything that week.
Press representatives were also present at the camp on some days to report on the camp. They were curious about the aims of the camp and the experiences of the participants. The journalists conducted interviews with the organising team and the participants. They wrote articles to tell their readers what Solarcamp Freiburg is about and what role it plays in promoting renewable energy and education.
In the second week, some graduates had the opportunity to complete an internship at one of our partner companies under “real” conditions and to get a taste of the respective companies. This internship thus provided even more practical experience, deepened what they had learned and improved their job prospects in this field. Two of the camp participants have already started a job in the solar industry and we are looking forward and hoping for more.
The feedback from our camp participants was extremely positive, even though it was the first time we did it. The participants thanked us for the knowledge and skills they gained during the camp and for the fun they had. We would like to use the constructive criticism and experience gained during the camp this year to further improve the camp in 2024 and offer an even more rounded event. The weeks at the camp were rounded off with a closing event on 9 September.