The Volvo Car Netherlands building and parking lot in Beesd has undergone a major sustainability update with the installation of more than 5.000 solar panels and more than 100 new charging points for the fleet. The ultimate goal of the company is to operate in a climate neutral way by fully meeting its own energy needs with the solar panels.
The large-scale installation of solar panels at Volvo Car Netherlands was carried out by SolarComfort with no fewer than 5.392 solar panels on all suitable roof surfaces with a total capacity of 1,79 MW. The installation was realized in two phases. Prior to installation, all panels are extensively tested for quality and possible hairline cracks, in order to guarantee optimal functioning and to prevent premature degradation of performance and yield.
Solar Car ports
In the second phase, the parking lot will be equipped with so-called Solar Carports. These carports specially designed for Volvo create extra surface that is used to the maximum for the installation of solar panels. Each carport is also equipped with a charging point, so that the generated solar energy can be used directly to charge the battery of an electric car. The new charging points in the parking lot, 113 in total, were recently completed by supplier and partner Joulz. To top it off, the street work has also been refurbished and re-asphalted.
In line with sustainability strategy
The total yield of the solar panels at volvo car The Netherlands amounts to no less than 1,6 GWh per year. To illustrate: this is enough to charge the battery of a fully electric Volvo XC40 Recharge 22.857 times, covering 9,7 million emission-free kilometres.
With the commissioning of the large amount of solar panels, Volvo Car Netherlands is making a clear statement with regard to corporate social responsibility, while it fits seamlessly with Volvo's sustainability vision. In this context, the Dutch organization has stopped printing brochures and price lists and the use of 'single use' plastic in 2019, according to the company.
“We are proud of the extensive work that has been done on the roof of our building and in the parking lot. It is the result of a great collaboration with our partners SolarComfort and Joulz. We have made great strides in our corporate social responsibility and we continue to follow Volvo's ambitions for the coming period. We are preparing for the major changes that will take place at Volvo in the coming years, such as the transition to an all-electric model range by 2030 and full climate neutrality by 2040. And of course we are not doing this alone, but together with our retailers.”
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