In March the solar panels in North Macedonia went into operation, so we can now produce our own energy. We are pleased with this outcome, as it has taken some time to get to where we are now.
Not only in the Netherlands, Germany and China, but also at our location in North Macedonia, we try to ensure our operations are as sustainable as possible. In line with our sustainability strategy to reduce the impact on the environment from our operations, we researched in 2019 the possibility of installing solar panels on the remaining surface area and/or on the roof of our buildings. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, all investment projects were temporarily halted. In early 2021 we restarted the project and the final choice of the solar panels supplier was made in July 2021.
Solar panels on the roof of the buildings
Building regulations restricted the installation of solar panels on the surface area, hence the decision was taken to place all the panels on the roof of the buildings. The original intention was to cover only the south side of the building with photovoltaic panels. However, due to the rapidly increasing price of electricity, a decision was taken in November 2021 to include the north side as well, resulting in the following:
- Number of panels installed: 7,379
- Total roof surface covered with solar panels: 1.853 ha
- Installed power: 3,841.00 kWp
- Average predicted reduction of grid consumption: 42%
System in operation
The solar energy system went into operation in the middle of March 2022. At the moment we are still waiting for the permits; this prevents the system from being used to its full potential as we are currently prohibited from selling the excess produced power. Therefore, we are limiting the output to fall in line with our own consumption needs. We hope this issue will be solved soon so we can also contribute to the Macedonian energy grid.
