Measuring 24 hectares in size, the solar park will be one of the largest ground-mounted photovoltaic systems in southern Germany.
In March of this year, Wieland announced the construction of a solar park in Erbach near the company’s headquarters. Now, the construction measures have begun with the building of an access road. Measuring 24 hectares in size, the solar park will be one of the largest ground-mounted photovoltaic systems in southern Germany.
"The planning has been completed and the Alb-Donau District Office has given the go-ahead and approval, so we can start construction immediately," announced Dr. Erwin Mayr, CEO of the Wieland Group. "We are aiming to complete the project in the summer of 2024, which will enable us to achieve our defined sustainability goals as quickly as possible - in other words, net zero emissions by 2045." In Erbach, approximately 47,000 solar modules will be installed over the next few months, reaching a maximum output of 26.5 MWp. In addition, 77 inverters and 14 transformer systems will be installed. The expected power yield of about 29 gigawatt hours after completion corresponds to about seven percent of the annual energy demand of Wieland-Werke AG in Germany.
"The Wieland solar park will also help us to reduce CO2 emissions by around 18,000 tons per year in the future. This corresponds to four percent of the Wieland Group's emissions from the use of purchased electricity," explained Mayr. Wieland is investing a total of 19 million euros in the solar park. In addition to the solar park, the investment includes the construction of a 110/20 kV substation. The electricity generated there will be fed into the grid of Netze BW GmbH.
Wieland not only relies on the use of open spaces to generate renewable energy. "Wherever possible, we also install photovoltaic systems on the roofs of our facilities worldwide," says Mayr. Currently, with an output of 750 kWp, the solar modules of the Ulm site generate up to 900,000 kWh of electricity per year. Additional rooftop installations have already been completed at nine Wieland Group sites and are currently under construction at seven sites.
