Most Powerful Solar Roof in the World
Buildings today are built to last 40 years and even more, not just 20. As a property developer, you can set yourself apart with development projects that are ready for the ever-stricter climate legislation on the one hand and, on the other hand, also respond to the ever-increasing energy consumption and costs. Sustainable investment is the resounding answer to this.
When purchasing or renting a property, companies and consumers alike are looking for a site with low fixed costs. Heylen Warehouses, developer, landlord and manager of logistics real estate, played into this by going straight to source and asking their customers: 'How can we create added value for you?' The answer was loud and clear: they prefer sites with lower ecological footprint and, as a result, minimal CO2 emissions.
Heylen looked into this request and found the solution right over its head, i.e. the roofs of many of the existing properties for rent. A lot of untapped space, perfect for the installation of solar panels and the generation of its own sustainable energy. A win-win situation where CO2 emissions and fixed costs are reduced and the clients' green criteria are met.
Heylen Warehouses turned to Encon for as much as eight buildings, of which seven in the Netherlands and one in Belgium. Encon's approach for each building included guidance from A to Z. The first step in this is to assess the most suitable solar installation to maximise efficiency, taking into account the specific characteristics of the roof. We then draw up a detailed roadmap and look for the contractor best suited to the specific requirements of the project. Finally, we follow up on the installation in detail so that guaranteed yields are effectively achieved.
Encon guarantees an ROI of 20 years down the line during this project. In other words, Heylen Warehouses is sure of a minimum yield of their own produced renewable energy, which guarantees the payback period of the investment, while Encon closely monitors that the promised guarantees are fulfilled.
One of the roofs turned into something unique: the most powerful solar roof in the world. They built a solar roof on the roof of the VE Commerce Campus in Venlo, covering 12.6 hectares (about 20 football pitches) and with a capacity of more than 18 MWp on a single roof area.
It is estimated that the entire installation will generate enough electricity to supply up to 4,500 households. It will generate a quantity of green electricity that will not only be sufficient for local activities on the site itself but also serve other sites. This could include shops, head offices and other distribution centres of the clients.
The other seven installations are next on the schedule and will provide an additional estimated capacity of around 60 MWp. This initiative will drastically reduce CO2 emissions.
'We believe that logistics buildings are the power plants of the future.'
Philippe Deschilder, CEO Heylen Warehouses
Heylen Warehouses has taken an important step towards their vision that logistics buildings are the power plants of the future, thereby creating added value for their clients. This allows them to make their own activities energy-positive.
Sustainability will become an integral part of real estate as the demand from buyers and tenants alike grows by the day. In other words, it is important to keep evolving sustainably; if there is one thing that determines the viability and value of your property, it is sustainability.
