Scania installs largest solar roof in the Netherlands
Zwolle production unit gets solar-powered roof equivalent to the size of nearly eight football pitches, bringing it nearer to the goal of being carbon neutral by 2020.
Scania has taken its latest significant step in its transition to using exclusively renewable energy in its production activities.
The company’s production unit in Zwolle, Overijssel, will install the largest solar roof in the Netherlands. The solar roof will have 22,000 solar panels with a total energy capacity of six megawatts.
“Scania is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and throughout the organisation we are now taking initiatives similar to those in Zwolle to enhance energy efficiency. We have set ambitious targets and are well on our way to achieving carbon neutrality,” says Ruthger de Vries, Executive Vice President for Production and Logistics.
The roof is just one of several initiatives that Scania has taken in Zwolle for the production unit to reach carbon neutrality by 2020. One example is wind power. In September 2016, Scania Nederland started collaborating with the Dutch citizen initiative ‘Blauwvinger Energie’ and Windesheim College, to build three wind turbines by the Zwolle-IJssel canal, two of which are due to be built two of those wind turbines on the Scania factory area. The turbines for the project ‘Windenergie in Zwolle’ have a capacity of two to three megawatts each, while the hub height and rotor diameter of the turbines are 100 metres.
The solar roof has been welcomed by the local authority. “Scania is amongst those leading the way in energy,” says Annemieke Traag, Member of the Executive Council of the Province of Overijssel for Energy, Environment and European Affairs.
“As a major employer in our province, Scania is manifesting that it takes energy transition very seriously.”
In reaching its 2020 target, Zwolle would become the first Scania production in the world to become energy-neutral, but the company as a whole is committed to reducing its environmental footprint throughout its production processes. Scania is a signatory to the UN Global Compact, which has now been complemented by Agenda 2030 and its sustainability goals.
For further information, please contact:
Hans-Åke Danielsson, Press Manager, Corporate Relations
Phone: +46 8 553 856 62
E-mail: hans-ake.danielsson@scania.com
Caption:
The entire roof area, equal to 55,000 square metres or nearly eight football pitches, in this aerial view of Scania’s production unit in Zwolle will be covered by solar panels.
Scania is a world leading provider of transport solutions. Together with our partners and customers we are driving the shift towards a sustainable transport system. In 2016, we delivered 73,100 trucks, 8,300 buses as well as 7,800 industrial and marine engines to our customers. Net sales totalled nearly SEK 104 billion, of which about 20 percent were services-related. Founded in 1891, Scania now operates in more than 100 countries and employs some 46,000 people. Research and development are concentrated in Sweden, with branches in Brazil and India. Production takes place in Europe, Latin America and Asia, with regional production centres in Africa, Asia and Eurasia. Scania is part of Volkswagen Truck & Bus GmbH. For more information visit www.scania.com.
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