-140 kilowatt photovoltaic facility on the roofs of the new Thuringia State Office of Criminal Investigations (LKA)
-Energy cooperative has leased the roof area for 20 years for its largest plant
-Solar plants also make economic sense for public institutions
[Erfurt / Thalheim, Germany, 23 September, 2014] – A photovoltaic facility with Q CELLS solar modules has become operational atop the new site of the Thuringia State Office of Criminal Investigations (LKA) in Erfurt, Germany. The PV power is fed into the grid from the police department. On the four roughly one-thousand sq. metre roofs, 560 Q CELLS solar modules have been installed within three weeks by maxx-solar & energie GmbH & Co. KG. The modules were provided by Hanwha Q CELLS GmbH, the largest European photovoltaics provider. The energy cooperative Erste Erfurter Energiegenossenschaft e. G. has leased out the police department’s roofs for 20 years for its largest system to date. The 140 kilowatt (kW) roof unit is in operation since late August and generates around 130,000 kilowatt hours of clean energy per year. This equates to the annual energy demand of about 50 households. A potential direct supply of the police department LKA with solar energy is being discussed between the federal state and the energy cooperative.
“We would like to generate as much clean energy as possible both in and with our properties,” says Ingle Klaan, Thuringia Secretary of State for Building, Regional Development and Transport. The energy transition (“Energiewende”) will only be successful through increasing energy efficiency and developing renewable energy sources. 33 state building lease agreements with photovoltaic unit operators have been finalized since 2008. The installed output thereby increased from 30 kW to over 1,000 kW in 2013. The annual power generation of over 1,000,000 kWh prevents approximately 600 tons of CO2.
“We engage in our state capital’s energy transition,” says Ulrich von Brunn, Chairman of the energy cooperative Erste Erfurter Energiegenossenschaft e. G.. 90 members of the cooperative finance facilities that produce power from renewable energy sources – to date these are primarily photovoltaic facilities atop buildings in the city of Erfurt.
“We are glad about the successful project that the state, energy cooperative and maxx-solar have realized together,” says Stephan Edelmann, Key Account Manager at Hanwha Q CELLS. “In Erfurt Hanwha Q CELLS is again providing its state-of-the-art modules. Along with commerce and industry, public institutions and municipal companies are benefiting from photovoltaic units as well,” says Michael Geib, Head of Sales for Germany at Hanwha Q CELLS.
About Hanwha Q CELLS
Hanwha Q CELLS is headquartered in Germany and largest European photovoltaics provider. Around the globe the Q CELLS brand is known for solar modules, system solutions and complete power plants in superior quality – “Engineered in Germany”. Moreover the company offers long-term partnership and financial stability being part of Hanwha Group – a South Korean Top-Ten business enterprise and a “FORTUNE Global 500” company. At its headquarters in Thalheim (Germany) Hanwha Q CELLS has a unique setup of R&D, production and quality management, enabling the company to develop leading quality products as well as manufacturing innovations and quickly transfer them into mass production. Q CELLS` products are manufactured according to strict quality standards; mainly in the company´s production plants in Germany and Malaysia as well as in cooperation with partners in Europe and Asia. Customers of Hanwha Q CELLS can purchase Q CELLS´ products via the company´s international sales network with branches in Germany (HQ), Malaysia, Japan, USA, Korea, France, Turkey, Chile and Australia. Thanks to its truly international setup, high quality products and the financial stability, Hanwha Q CELLS is THE reliable partner for PV customers around the globe. For more information, visit: www.q-cells.com.
About the company and brand names
In using our company and brand names in written texts, we distinguish between Hanwha Q CELLS (company name) and Q CELLS (brand name). When we refer to our products, we write, e.g. “Q CELLS modules” or “Q CELLS quality”, with the brand always in uppercase and without hyphen.
About Hanwha Group
Hanwha Group, founded in 1952, is one of the Top-Ten business enterprises in South Korea and a “FORTUNE Global 500” company. Hanwha Group has 51 domestic affiliates and 113 global networks in three major sectors: manufacturing and construction, finance, and services and leisure. With more than 60 years track record of industrial leadership, Hanwha’s manufacturing and construction businesses encompass a broad range of fields from basic chemicals and advanced materials to property development and total solar energy solutions. The finance network, covering banking, insurance, asset management and securities, is the second largest non-bank finance group in South Korea. The services and leisure sector offers premium lifestyle services with retail and resort businesses. For more information, visit: www.hanwha.com.
