2,500 solar panels on the roof of Holbox’s new building in Roermond

We met up with Yvo Hoppers, Director of Operations at New Energy Systems, the company responsible for installing solar panels on top of Holbox’s rapidly advancing new build in Roermond.

Yvo kicks off with a brief introduction to the company where he works. ‘New Energy Systems is a company that has been specialising in providing renewable energy solutions for 15 years now. With a team that has meanwhile grown to 100 members, we install solar power systems for both individual and business customers, including

SMEs, major corporations, and the agricultural sector. Besides solar power systems, we also offer heat pump and energy management systems. In the B2B market, we provide innovative solutions starting from around 50 panels. Recently we installed a 4.7-megawatt system made up of thousands of panels at a customer’s site.’

For Holbox, phase 1 of the solar panel project will start with around 2,500 solar panels on the roof. Holbox and New Energy Systems held extensive talks to determine the technical specifications and find the best possible solutions. New Energy Systems guarantees the engineering and chooses high-quality solar panels, such as JA Solar* panels, to ensure customer satisfaction and minimise problems.

Yvo explains that the aim is for the solar panels to make Holbox’s new business premises entirely selfsufficient, both the offices and the factory. ‘This means that Holbox will be able to generate their own energy and feed the surplus to the grid on a power feed-in contract. Installing solar panels is in keeping with Holbox’s broader green vision with a focus on maximum sustainability and a smaller carbon footprint.’

The solar panels will literally be the source of Holbox’s energy supply. For everything that follows on from that, Yvo has held talks with the technical engineering team and project manager to discuss aspects such as the main distribution boxes and sub-distribution boxes, the installation of battery containers for surplus energy, the possibilities to feed surplus power into the grid, and a Holbox charging facility with multiple charging points for electric vehicles. In this same context, Yvo also mentions the energy management system for efficient management of energy generation and consumption. We will come back to this in upcoming editions of INSTORE magazine.

By aiming to generate green energy and thus become self-sufficient, Holbox is going for sustainability in a big way. ‘So, basically, in the situation as planned, as the new building is now intended to be, you can be self-supporting, within certain limits, of course,’ says Yvo. ‘In five years’ time, however, the world will be very different, meaning that a phase 2 may be needed.’

‘There are many solar system installers active in the market today,’ Yvo continues, ’where we set ourselves apart is that we get involved in the entire process from A to Z. And we do that without ever compromising on our two pillars of safety and quality.’

* TECHNICAL DETAILS

2,480 JA Solar-branded solar modules, type JAM72S30-545/MR

Total output: 1,351,600 Wp (Wp or watt peak is the output from photovoltaic cells to turn solar energy into electricity.) ANNUAL

Output Of Nearly

1.2 MEGAWATT HOUR

Yvo Hoppers’ words just go to show how important collaboration between different parties is when it comes to sustainability projects. Exploring the best solutions together and setting up efficient systems paves the way for cost control and investment recovery. n

2,480 solar modules

1,351,600 watt peak