Goodyear Dunlop Goes Solar in Germany

It may not be the sunny season in Europe right now yet solar energy still has a role to play in our region. Goodyear Dunlop has shown its confidence in the technology through investing in an 87,000 square metre solar facility at its Philippsburg plant in southern Germany. The set-up installed on the roof of the tyre warehouse at Philippsburg by regenerative energy specialists PV julist and juwi is said to be the third largest rooftop solar power plant in the world and is expected to provide an output of 7.4 MW and 7.3 million kWh per annum, equivalent to the annual requirements of approximately 1,800 households.

The scale of the solar facility at the Goodyear Dunlop plant, the juwi group comments, it usually only found in free-field solar power plants: 95,500 solar modules are in use and it is thought that the facility will eliminate the emission of approximately 5,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. “Every day, the sun provides approx. 170,000 terawatt hours of energy. That is approx. 2,850 times the energy required by people around the world. These incredible numbers demonstrate the sun’s potential. We are happy to be able to use this potential with the solar power plant in Philippsburg”, said Juliane Lindner, managing director PV julist.

The plant is equipped with thin-film modules and was connected to the grid at the end of 2010. The Philippsburg plant shows, says juwi, the huge potential the roof surfaces of industrial buildings have for renewable energy and climate protection. “Companies that use their buildings for energy production observe not only an improved image, but can create additional income. In addition, surfaces are used in an efficient and economic matter“, said juwi Solar managing director Lars Falck.

“The distribution centre in Philippsburg is one of the world’s largest and state-of-the-art distribution centres for tyres. Due to optimised production and logistical processes as well as the state-of-the-art building Philippsburg sets standards in sustainable production. With the installation of the largest rooftop solar power plant in Germany we continue our environmental management and contribute to a reduction of CO2 emissions”, commented Eberhard Louis, director Distribution & Operation EMEA, Goodyear Dunlop Europe.

Commodity flows to more than 120 countries are managed from the logistics centre in Philippsburg. Requisition, procurement, storage, transport and money transfer are coordinated. Tyres are delivered within 24 hours to customers in Germany as well as to customers in Western and Eastern Europe.