READ MOREHere's why no one worries about energy bills in this tiny German villageby FRANK JORDANS | Associated Press FELDHEIM, Germany (AP) — Europeans are opening their energy bills with trepidation these days, bracing for hefty price hikes as utility companies pass on the surging cost of natural gas oil and electricity tied to Russia's war in Ukraine Many are trying to conserve by turning down the heat and shutting off lights this winter Located about an hour and a half south of Berlin this modest but well-kept village has been energy self-sufficient for more than a decade providing extra income to the farmers' cooperative which pumps hot water through a village-wide central heating system A hydrogen production facility is also under construction 55 wind turbines can be seen but not heard on the sloping farmlands around Feldheim and residents enjoy some of the cheapest electricity and natural gas rates in Germany Feldheim's hands-on approach to producing its own eco-friendly energy draws thousands of visitors from around the world each year and contrasts with the way Germany as a whole still relies on fossil fuel imports for much of its needs. That became painfully apparent when Russia invaded Ukraine, upending the reliance Germany and other European countries had on Moscow's coal, oil and natural gas. Despite Germany pumping billions into the growth of renewable energy to reduce climate-changing emissions, fossil fuels and nuclear were responsible for more than half of the country's gross power production in the first six months of the year. A lack of sufficient transmission capacity means wind parks in the north regularly have to be shut down while fossil fuel plants are fired up to provide electricity to factories in the south. Letting locals participate in — and benefit from — the project was key to Feldheim's success, said Michael Knape, mayor of Treuenbrietzen, a municipality to which Feldheim belongs. While wind parks elsewhere in Germany often face opposition, including some economically depressed neighboring villages, Feldheim's close-knit community approved so many turbines that it actually exports about 250 times as much electricity as it consumes. But he also credits authorities at the time with not interfering in what he describes as an "experiment" that could have failed. It fell into a legal gray area that officials elsewhere might have clamped down on. "In Germany, you sometimes get the impression that if someone makes a mistake then it's a huge problem," Knape said. "But it's only in that way that we make progress." Feldheim's grassroots approach to generating clean energy contrasts starkly with the prevailing practice in Germany, where large energy companies tend to build and control vast power projects. Small-scale efforts, meanwhile, often face high regulatory hurdles. Still, Knape is hopeful that Germany's energy transition can catch up with Feldheim. While Feldheim's approach can't be copied everywhere, such projects can be a big part of the solution, Knape said. "Many little Feldheims could supply at least parts of Berlin." Siegfried Kappert, 83, is similarly optimistic. Born and bred in Feldheim, he enthusiastically paid the 3,000-euro (dollar) fee to connect his home to the electricity and heating grids when they were built. That investment has paid off manifold since, with lower energy prices for him and the village, which has no unemployment and was recently able to afford new pavements, streetlights and a cultural venue in a converted barn topped with solar panels. Kappert laments that longtime Chancellor Angela Merkel allowed Germany to become dependent on Russian energy and feels her Union bloc, now in opposition, should stop sniping at the new government. "They should work together, that would be the right way," he said. Kappert, who as a child saw the Red Army roll in at the end of World War II, then grew up under communism in East Germany and saw his world turned upside down again with reunification, said Feldheim's success is a source of satisfaction. "We looked for a path and found one," he said. "I can say, quite honestly, that we're proud of this." Firemen work in a burning forest on August 24, 2018 in Treuenbrietzen, northeastern Germany, as a forest fire raging 50 kilometres (30 miles) southwest of Berlin continued to spread. / AFP / dpa / Michael Kappeler Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world 2018 at 12:54 PM EDTBookmarkSaveLock This article is for subscribers only.Berlin (AP) -- Firefighters struggled Friday to tame a wildfire southwest of Berlin but had to maneuver carefully as the blaze set off old World War II ammunition that is still buried in the forests around the German capital Flames forced the evacuation of several nearby villages and sent clouds of acrid smoke toward the German capital.