It’s solar side up for Europa-Park Stadium

Article posted by Coliseum, July 26^th, 2022

Image: Badenova

The Bundesliga club SC Freiburg, the functionaries of the City of Freiburg in Germany and badenova (power company) officials inaugurated the solar power plant on the roof of the Europa-Park Stadium by activating an oversized power switch together. The 2.4 megawatt system is one of the world’s largest solar roofs in a football stadium.

‘scfreiburg’ quoted the Mayor of Freiburg im Breisgau, Martin Horn, as stating, “It’s sunny side up for Freiburg. The Europa-Park Stadium solar roof is a sharp statement on sustainability from the City, the sports club and badenova.”

SC Freiburg is a German football club based in the City of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. It plays in the Bundesliga, having been promoted as champions from the 2. Bundesliga in 2016.

The 34,700-capacity Europa-Park Stadion, also known as the Mooswaldstadion by fans, is a football stadium in Freiburg, Germany. It primarily serves as the home stadium of SC Freiburg, replacing the club’s former home, the Dreisamstadion. It is located in a part of the City called Brühl, immediately to the West of Freiburg Airport.

badenova AG & Co.KG is a transmission and distribution company of electric energy, natural gas, district heating and water, and solar energy based in Freiburg, Baden- Württemberg, Germany.

‘scfreiburg’ stated that the solar roof is a beret on the hat of the City of Freiburg especially when it comes to their Green ambitions. With the installation of the solar roof the stadium is almost self-sufficient when it comes to energy production.

Observed Oliver Leki, SC Board Member, “Along with the City of Freiburg and badenova, we have created one of the world’s largest solar power plants on a stadium roof. It is a watershed moment for SC Freiburg and best demonstrates the fact that we at SC Freiburg accord topmost priority to environmental matters.”

Commented Heinz-Werner Hölscher, badenova Board Member, “With this rooftop solar power plant, we are adding a new chapter as the energy and environmental partner of the sports club to our longstanding partnership. Solar power is slowly emerging as a major source of energy. We have deployed high-performance modules manufactured in Germany in order to meet the high sustainability standards of the City of Freiburg and SC Freiburg.”

Peak output

With a peak output of 2,387 kilowatt peak (kWp), the solar roof on the Europa-Park Stadium will generate around 2.3 million kWh of electricity per year and will thus be able to cover the currently forecast annual electricity requirements of the Europa-Park Stadium leaving zero carbon footprints.

Roof inspection

Following a roof inspection by all project partners in February this year and subsequent preparatory work in March and April, the badenova subsidiary badenovaWÄRMEPLUS, which is responsible for the construction and operation of the solar roof, started installing the over 6,000 solar panels on the roof of the said facility. The finishing touches remain and the technical grid connection has not yet started. These works will soon be over and the solar roof can be put into operation as planned in the second half of September.

The Meyer Burger company supplied the modules and they are the sole supplier of solar cells in Germany.

Explained Klaus Preiser, Managing Director of badenovaWÄRMEPLUS, “We want to be the trendsetters in establishing the sustainability factor not only with the above project but also with the modules. These modules will generate the maximum amount of electricity on the stadium roof of the Europa-Park Stadium and will promote the Green quotient.”

More than 6,000 PV modules were installed on the part of the roof that slopes three percent in all directions and thus promises the greatest solar yield.

badenovaWÄRMEPLUS is investing around 2.3 million euros and has entered into a contractual deal with SC Freiburg to operate the solar power plant on the stadium roof for at least 20 years.

Summed up Hölscher, “We have been a reliable partner of SC Freiburg for many years, both as a sponsor and as an energy and environmental partner.”

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