Heilbronn, Germany — 22 July 2026 – In an impressive step toward energy independence, INTERSPORT Germany eG, one of Germany’s leading sports retailers, set out an ambitious adoption of solar energy production. The initiative is a fundamental piece in supporting INTERSPORT’s German strategy ‘BEST IN SPORT: UP FOR FUTURE’ for sustainable and profitable company growth.
This strategic shift is exemplified by the investment in a large-scale 2.2MWp photovoltaic (PV) system recently installed at the headquarters of INTERSPORT Central in Heilbronn, Germany. The system will cut approximately 16,000 tons of CO₂ emissions over the system’s lifetime and strengthen its grid independence. Half of the energy generated from the PV system will be used for self-consumption to power the company’s headquarters, logistics center and “redblue” site, with the remaining energy sold to the grid serving as a new revenue stream. As a result, the company is expecting a significant reduction in operational costs and electricity bills. In addition, INTERSPORT Germany eG operates a Combined Heat and Power system (CHP). Most of the electricity generated by this plant is also consumed on-site, and the resulting waste heat is used to heat the buildings.
Spanning four rooftops and a ground-mounted installation on its outdoor grounds, the PV system is powering a 27,000 m² logistics center, which houses the company’s state-of-the-art automated warehouse technology. This includes robotics and machinery for inventory management and order fulfilment, as well as software to streamline operations. The “redblue” event site on its Heilbronn campus, which hosts over 40 exhibitions and events a year, is also powered by the system, with all surplus energy generated by the system fed back into the grid.
Thomas Storck, CFO and Deputy Chairman of the Board at INTERSPORT Germany eG, explains: “It is crucial for us as a company to become more independent in our energy supply, especially in times of economic and geopolitical uncertainty. The energy crisis of recent years has clearly shown how important a forward-looking and independent energy policy is. By investing in the PV system, we have taken an important step toward energy self-sufficiency for our site in Heilbronn – a significant milestone on our path to greater energy independence."
Installer SO.LE. green energy GmbH designed the Heilbronn project to overcome significant technical challenges. With three separate grid connection points, the PV system had to be divided into multiple interconnected units. This complex setup, combined with the size of the project, demanded both safety and long-term operational efficiency. These safety requirements were met with the help of SolarEdge’s SafeDC™ technology, an integrated fire protection mechanism, which enables automatic module-level shutdown in case of emergencies, ensuring the protection of property and staff and providing peace of mind for a retailer operating on such a large scale.
SolarEdge Power Optimizers were chosen to deliver a significantly higher energy yield compared to conventional PV technology. By allowing each panel to operate at its individual maximum output, the system maximizes overall production to deliver both higher environmental and economic returns. Enabling oversight of this energy production, SolarEdge monitoring provides panel-level, real-time performance monitoring and rapid fault detection, helping to ensure uninterrupted energy production.
“Our customers can rest assured that acting responsibly and with an eye to the future is part of our corporate DNA as a cooperative. By investing in solar, we are reinforcing this commitment,” concludes Storck.
About SolarEdge
SolarEdge is a global leader in smart energy technology. By leveraging world-class engineering capabilities and with a relentless focus on innovation, SolarEdge creates smart energy solutions that power our lives and drive future progress. SolarEdge developed an intelligent inverter solution that changed the way power is harvested and managed in photovoltaic (PV) systems. The SolarEdge DC-optimized inverter seeks to maximize power generation while lowering the cost of energy produced by the PV system. Continuing to advance smart energy, SolarEdge addresses a broad range of energy market segments through its PV, storage, EV charging, batteries and grid services solutions.
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Incus Media
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