Company profile
The CERATIZIT Group is a leading developer and manufacturer of hard material solutions for cutting tools and wear protection.
At its headquarters in Mamer, the company develops and manufactures highly specialised cutting tools, cutting inserts, hard material rods and wear parts.
The engineering group employs 7,000 people, including 1,200 in Luxembourg.
Idea
Addition of a Solar carport
As part of the company’s sustainability strategy, a solar carport was constructed. The project provides a combined solution for generating photovoltaic energy and providing an electric charging infrastructure for company and private vehicles.
An added benefit of the project’s design is the added protection for cars in the outdoor parking lot.
Design
Deploying a green strategy with the help of Enerdeal
Ceratizit commissioned Enerdeal to install, operate and finance the carport as part of the group’s ambitious green strategy.
The structural design is based on rammed metal pile foundations (up to 6 m deep). The panels face south.
After 15 years of operation, the ownership of the system will be transferred to Ceratizit, providing for at least an additional 15 years of solar production.
As for financial aid, the company participated in a call for tenders to obtain a “market premium” (guaranteed minimum price) for the reinjection of electricity into the grid for 15 years. In terms of project regulations, a building permit has been obtained from the local authority.
Implementation
12 months to project completion
The total duration of the project amounted to around 12 months, with the actual construction phase taking no more than 4 months. The work was divided between the construction of the carport, with the integration of the photovoltaic system by Enerdeal, and the installation of the charging stations by Elco. The operation of the plant will be guaranteed by a financing subsidiary between Enerdeal and Sudstroum, named “Sudsolar Energy Invest2”. The project entails an investment of 1.8 million euros.
Results
Electricity injected directly into the grid
The project to install an electricity generation system in combination with a charging infrastructure for electric vehicles can be summarized by the following key figures:
- 100% electric energy fed back into the grid
- Approx. 442 parking spaces (10% electromobility)
- Installed capacity of 1,320 kWp, i.e. 3,520 panels of 375 Wp each
- Parking space of 6,200 m2 (covered)
- Annual production of 1,400 MWh in 2022, i.e. around 638 tonnes of CO2 saved per year
- charging points for electric vehicles
2 types of charging station: 11 kW for semi-fast charging and 60 kW for fast charging.
