Bohnenkamp AG already installed the first 10,000 square metres of photovoltaic panels at its headquarters in Osnabrück in 2020. Even then, the plant was the largest in the Osnabrück city area. Now the company has doubled its capacity. As of now, 20,000 square metres of solar modules are available for CO2-neutral energy generation.
Bohnenkamp AG invested a total of 1.5 million euros in the two-stage construction of the plant. Thanks to this investment, the wholesaler will reduce climate-damaging CO2 emissions by more than 150 tonnes per year. After the expansion was commissioned at the beginning of December this year, the more than 4,000 modules will be able to produce around 1.4 million kilowatts of electricity annually. This corresponds to more than half of the electricity required at the site. The company will directly consume around 70 percent of the energy generated itself. Bohnenkamp is currently planning to build its own energy storage facility. Until then, the surplus electricity is fed into the public power grid. The location of the plant, for which no additional land was sealed off or utilised, is also environmentally compatible. It is located at a height of 15 metres on the extensive roofs of the Bohnenkamp logistics halls.
"Our goal is to operate our site in Osnabrück in a climate-neutral manner through our own efforts and without trading in certificates," explained Michael Rieken, CFO of the Bohnenkamp Group, during an on-site meeting with Osnabrück's mayor Katharina Pötter on Monday. "This is a goal that we at the city are happy to support. And of course we hope that other companies in the region will follow this example and recognise the opportunities and potential savings that come with such a development," emphasised the chief administrator.
TÜV Rheinland certifies corporate carbon footprint
On its way to more sustainability, Bohnenkamp AG is supported by TÜV Rheinland. For the first time, the organisation has taken a close look at the corporate carbon footprint for 2021 and identified and quantified all relevant sources of greenhouse gases. Since then, the TÜV findings have served as a benchmark and planning basis for the company's further sustainability efforts. "We have already set the course for more energy sustainability in our company in recent years," says Bohnenkamp CFO Michael Rieken, underlining his company's ambitions. Specifically, Bohnenkamp had already purchased a geothermal heating system in 2016 for the new administration building. "This investment pays off, especially in view of the current price development for fossil fuels," the Bohnenkamp board member is pleased to say. In addition, the wholesaler of commercial vehicle tyres has equipped almost all storage areas and the entire administrative wing with energy-saving LED lighting, thus reducing its energy consumption considerably.
In the future, Bohnenkamp AG will continue to fulfill its corporate responsibility for more climate protection and sustainability and not only discover potential savings but also invest in CO2 mitigation where it makes sense. The extent to which the remaining roof surfaces can also be used for energy generation is currently being examined, as is the extent to which complete self-sufficiency in solar power can be achieved through additional storage and intelligent charging management for the more than 100 forklift trucks.