The Port of Rotterdam published a video focusing on the solar panels that are the port’s most sustainable energy sources, highlighting the importance of renewable energy and the sustainable development that will follow.
As Michel Bresser, Area Manager and Solar Manager at the Port of Rotterdam Authority commented, you can’t see them (solar panels) from ground level, but they’re increasingly being installed on company roofs in the port.
Renewable energy such as wind and solar power is crucial in making the port more sustainable. That’s why we think it’s important that companies use solar power where possible.
In lights of the advantages renewable energy provides, Mr Bresser and a team offer advice to companies that aim to use solar power, as there’s plenty of potential for this on roofs in the port.
In the meantime, the port presents four examples of the port using renewable energy:
To keep the products cool, the port needs a lot of energy; Thus, the location in Eemhaven has a lot of space for solar panels.
The Project Manager Jeffrey van der Krogt added
We have almost 11,000 solar panels. Solar panels mainly generate electricity during hot days and we also consume a lot of electricity on these days to cool the warehouses. It’s interesting for us that we can use the electricity we generate immediately.
When the weather is good, the location runs on solar power the whole day. During peak hours, the sun even provides so much power that the company can supply power back to the grid.
#2 Wafer-thin film
Vopak, global tank storage company, has tank roofs available. Tank roofs are round and angled and can’t simply be subject to heavy loads. That’s why the company is looking beyond solar panels that are suitable for normal roofs. The company installed Solar Powerfoil installed on the Vopak Vlaardingen storage tank roof.
Ard Huisman, Managing Director of Vopak Vlaardingen explained
Large amounts of energy are needed to store and pump these products, because many edible oils are prone to congealing in our climate.
#3 Solar power on roofs
The Port of Rotterdam Authority has equipped some of its company buildings with solar panels.
The Central Government Real Estate Agency (RVB), Rijkswaterstaat (RWS) and the Port of Rotterdam Authority plan to install a new floating solar farm in the Port of Rotterdam and are currently looking for a suitable party. The floating solar panels are to be installed on Slufter, the depot for contaminated dredged material on Maasvlakte. If a solar farm is constructed on Slufter, this will enable the installation of 80 to 100 MW in solar panels, equivalent to the electricity consumption of 33.000 households.
