Go-ahead for one of the largest photovoltaic systems in the Ruhr region
Bochum / Versmold, 4 September 2020. Sustainable energy for a 72,000-square metre logistics location: the largest rooftop photovoltaic (PV) system in the Ruhr region without a feed-in tariff was opened today at Nagel-Group’s centre for chilled logistics. The food logistics company uses the energy produced to supply its site.
The PV system encompasses an area of about 13,000 square metres and produces approximately two million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. More than 8,000 PV modules with a maximum capacity of 2.42 megawatts were installed on two rooftops. In other words, those modules could permanently supply more than 400 four-person households with electricity. The new system results in annual savings of almost 1,200 tonnes of CO2.
“This environmental aspect is a particular priority for us. Refrigerated logistics is an energy-intensive sector. We are therefore continuing our efforts to produce the energy we consume using our own systems,” explains Björn Schniederkötter, COO of Nagel-Group.
One hundred per cent of the electricity produced in Bochum is used for the operation of the system. “Doing so benefits not just the Nagel-Group but also the environment. We are therefore proud of marking a decisive step towards a sustainable corporate identity with this project,” says Schniederkötter, clarifying the role of the project for the company.
Prof Dr Andreas Pinkwart, Minister for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalisation and Energy of North Rhine-Westphalia, was able to see the size of the PV system for himself at the official launch: “In the energy system of the future, electricity will be increasingly produced where it is consumed. More and more entrepreneurs are already taking the lead in making this change. I am glad that we have many innovative companies in North Rhine-Westphalia like the Nagel-Group that are joining us in pushing the energy transition through forward-looking innovations.”
The food logistics company Nagel-Group has invested approximately EUR 2 million for the realisation of the project. The owner is Kraftverkehr Nagel SE & Co. KG, a Nagel-Group company. The system will instantly be one of the largest of its kind in the Ruhr region – plus it can be extended even further in the future if required. There is another free rooftop that offers sufficient space to increase the system’s energy production by approximately 30 to 40 per cent.
Sustainability at Nagel-Group
As a family-owned business, the Nagel-Group believes in sustainable corporate management, bringing it in line with economic, environmental and social concerns. In 2017, the Nagel-Group became the first logistics company to be certified under the ZNU ‘Sustainable Management’ standard. The Nagel-Group received the Lean & Green Award as early as 2016. .