ENTEGA-SV Darmstadt 98 Green electricity deal

Article posted by Coliseum, March 21^st, 2023

Image: SV Darmstadt 98

At the Merck Stadium at the Böllenfalltor in Darmstadt, Germany, one can not only witness top-class performances on the pitch, but the stadium is also at the forefront when it comes to the sustainability quotient and environmental-friendly energy supply processes.

‘SV Darmstadt 98’ stated that now the 2. Bundesliga team SV Darmstadt 98 and the energy and telecommunications service provider ENTEGA have come together to install photovoltaic (PV) roofs on their home stadium – the Merck Stadium at the Böllenfalltor. The roof will almost be the size of a football pitch and will help to reduce 840 tons of CO₂ per year.

The Merck Stadium at the Böllenfalltor is a multiuse stadium in Darmstadt, Germany. It is currently used for football matches and is the home of SV Darmstadt 98 of the 2. Bundesliga. The stadium has a maximum capacity of 17,468 since its most recent renovation works.

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The SV Darmstadt 98 is a German association football club based in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany. The club was founded on May 22^nd, 1898 as FC Olympia Darmstadt. It plays in 2. Bundesliga and the Merck Stadium at the Böllenfalltor serve as its residence.

Darmstadt, Hesse (Germany)-based ENTEGA provides utility services. The company is into generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, natural gas, water, and heat, as well as waste disposal, construction, telecommunications, and other infrastructure services. ENTEGA serves customers in Germany.

A rooftop solar power system, or rooftop PV system, is a photovoltaic system that has its electricity-generating solar panels mounted on the rooftop of a residential or commercial building or structure.

Maintained Michael Weilguny, Managing Director of SV 98, “We accord topmost priority to the sustainability factor and we act responsibly towards the society too. So, we decided to install a PV roof. Sustainability takes precedence in all our activities. The lighthouse project on the roof of the grandstand is a part of our sustainability strategy. Moreover, at a time of dynamic energy pricing, it makes a lot of economic sense for the SV 98 to be able to partially become self-sufficient in electricity production.”

Said Dr. Marie-Luise Wolff, Chairwoman of the Board of ENTEGA, “The expansion of generation plants for renewables must be pushed forward with vigor. Since the approval exercise of wind turbines is a long-winded process, the PV system should be given priority in future projects.”

Reducing Carbon Footprints

‘SV Darmstadt 98’ further stated that around 2,900 PV modules will be installed on the roofs of the grandstand and the back straight over a total area of 5,678 square meters. The photovoltaic system is almost as big as the lawn. The system has an output of circa 1.2 MWp. Mathematically, 450 households can be supplied with Green electricity every year and around 840 tons of CO₂ can be reduced each year. The plant is scheduled to go into operation this Summer.

Emphasized Lord Mayor Jochen Partsch, ENTEGA Supervisory Board Chairman, “Darmstadt should be carbon-neutral by 2035. Our objective is to connect and involve as many actors as possible so that we can attain our net zero goals. And the ENTEGA-SV Darmstadt 98 pact best demonstrates the same.”

Green Electricity

The PV roof installation work and Green electricity production will be carried out by ENTEGA subsidiary NATURpur AG and will be leased to SV Darmstadt 98 GmbH. NATURpur will take over the operational management on behalf of the association and will also take care of maintenance and repairs, among other stuff. The SV Darmstadt will be in a position to deploy Green electricity in their home ground. As per ENTEGA calculations, around 46 percent of the electricity produced by the photovoltaic system can be used directly in the stadium. The surplus electricity can be used by the neighboring buildings.

The electricity which will remain unutilized will be fed into the distribution network of e-netz Südhessen (a company which generates electricity from wind and solar energy, biogas, geothermal, and conventional energies) via ENTEGA as Green electricity and will be supplied to households in Darmstadt.

ENTEGA is planning citizens’ participation in this entire PV system installation exercise as part of which citizens can invest money for a specific purpose. Citizens’ participation is scheduled to start in the fourth quarter of 2023.

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