Logicenters and Speed Group build Nordic region’s largest roof-top solar cell plant
Nordic region’s largest roof-top solar cell plant, both in terms of area and capacity Logicenters will now build on the logistics property leased by Speed Group in Viared, outside Borås. The new solar plant will encompass 60,000 m² and have a capacity of 5 MWp. The solar cells are estimated to be capable of producing 4 GWh of electricity a year, corresponding to the electricity consumption for 800 homes.
In 2018, Logicenters began work on expanding the already 38,000 m² property to a total of 83,000 m² on behalf of Speed Group, a logistics operator owned by Ratos. The logistics facility is one of the largest in the Nordic region and is strategically located along the Swedish national road 40, just six kilometres from Göteborg. Logicenters will now further develop the environmentally-rated facility by installing a solar cell plant on the roof of the property.
“We are very proud to be working with Speed Group to take a major step forward in the transition to green energy. Building for a sustainable future is at the heart of our sustainability work and this project will enable us to prove that our buildings can actually be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem. And despite the fact that the tax on solar energy currently penalises large solar plants, we cannot postpone major and important climate investments in the future,” says Matthias Kettelhoit, Head of Logicenters.
The roof-top solar cell plant will have an electrical capacity of 5 MWp and a full area of 60,000 m². This will be the Nordic region’s largest roof-top solar cell plant, both in terms of area and capacity. The plant is scheduled for completion in 2020 and is expected to produce 4 GWh of electricity per year, which could supply around 800 standard homes with electricity for a full year.
“Ratos is convinced that there is a strong link between sustainability and long-term value creation. And we are now putting our money where our mouth is by working on the construction of a solar plant of this size. As recently stated, we do still maintain that taxing self-generated electricity which is used in-house is not the right way to go, but we cannot let this stop us from making the right choice in the long term,” says Christian Johansson Gebauer, Area Manager for Construction & Services at Ratos.
It is calculated that the new solar plant will produce 33 percent more electricity than is currently consumed by the property. Speed Group will use some of the electricity in its daily operations, but the surplus will be available to other users through the electricity grid.
“We are very pleased to have a solar cell plant of this calibre installed on the roof. This is the right way to go, both from a climate perspective and a market perspective, as we are finding that more and more customers want to work in properties powered by green electricity. The fact that a considerable amount of daily operations will be powered by self-generated green electricity from solar cells on our own roof is gratifying both for Speed Group, our customers and not least for the environment,” says Mats Johnson, CEO of Speed Group.
