E-Werk Luckenwalde

Kunststrom, founded by the artist Pablo Wendel in 2012, is a non-profit CO2-negative energy provider in the German power grid. The company produces energy using art installations and renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind, and wood gas. Kunststrom supplies cultural institutions, businesses, and private households across Germany with clean energy.

• Energy Production: Kunststrom generates energy from renewable sources and distributes it through the German power grid in collaboration with Bürgerwerke, an association of over 40,000 citizens and 99 local energy communities.
• Art and Culture: All revenue from energy sales is reinvested into the production of Kunststrom and the contemporary art program at E-Werk Luckenwalde, a center for art and sustainable energy production.

The main mission of Kunststrom is to create alternative economic and ecological structures and to combat the climate emergency. Pablo Wendel saw in Kunststrom the potential to influence society through the power of art and to bring about comprehensive change. The company stands for autonomy, sustainability, and the promotion of contemporary art.

• CO2-Negative: Kunststrom focuses on CO2-negative energy production. In particular, the wood gasification process, which uses local wood chips, closes the loop by using the charcoal residues as artistic pigments or for soil regeneration, resulting in a negative CO2 balance.
• Forward-Thinking Infrastructure: E-Werk Luckenwalde, a former lignite power plant, was reopened in 2019 and now serves as a sustainable Kunststrom power plant and art center. It includes workshops, exhibition spaces, artist studios, and a zero waste kitchen, all aimed at sustainability and artistic energy.
• Education and Community: E-Werk offers various educational and workshop programs to promote active knowledge exchange and to embed sustainable practices in everyday life.