Samskip’s subsidiary frigoCare has completed the installation of the largest solar panel system in the port of Rotterdam as part of its major environmental protection project.
The initiative has been undertaken in partnership with Dutch renewable energy company Zon Exploitatie Nederland (ZEN), working in close cooperation with the Port of Rotterdam Authority.
The record-breaking green energy system has been installed on the roof of frigoCare’s 14,000 pallet-capacity cold store in Rotterdam. In total, some 3,100 solar panels have been fitted, covering an area of 7,500 square meters and capable of generating 750,000 kilowatts per hour of electricity a year. This would be enough to meet the average annual energy needs of 250 family homes, significantly reducing the carbon footprint in Europe’s largest port.
The new solar panel installation is owned by ZEN, while the roof’s surface is provided by frigoCare.
Jan Bouman, managing director of frigoCare, said, “The partnership with ZEN has enabled us to reduce our annual carbon emissions by around 325 tonnes a year. It is an example which we hope others in the logistics and transport industry will follow.”
Michel Peek, director and founder of ZEN, said, “Rotterdam has great ambitions to be a green city, but has not so far been that successful, ranking low in terms of solar power generation amongst all Dutch municipalities. With this investment it will rise significantly up that list, and we hope this project will provide confidence for other similar installations in the months and years to come.”
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