1.5 MWp for twelve supermarket shops
Iqony Sens installs photovoltaics in twelve branches of a supermarket chain in Switzerland
Bananas, bread, beef – in the supermarket, everything should not only look fresh and crisp, but also well stored and cooled. However, shopping is even more fun when it is known that the energy for the light and the refrigerated shelves is generated from renewable energy. In recent months, Iqony Sens has made this sustainable shopping experience possible for twelve branches of a supermarket chain in Switzerland by mounting a total of over 4,000 modules and installing them for the customer's own use.
One year, one team, one rollout
Over the past twelve months, the Iqony Sens team from the Commercial & Industrial (C&I) business unit has installed and commissioned a total of around 4,000 modules at twelve locations in Switzerland. The PV roof systems are distributed across the entire country on the shops of a supermarket chain.
A closely timed rollout made it possible for the locations to benefit from renewable energy on their own store roofs within a very short time. "Supermarkets are particularly energy-intensive due to the refrigeration units, but are ideally suited for the use of photovoltaics due to their usually relatively flat roof pitches. Our aim is therefore to equip our customers' roofs with solar systems as efficiently and as optimally as possible," says Fabian Herr, COO of Iqony Sens.
Herr describes in more detail what the timed rollout meant in practice: "Within ten weeks, all twelve systems were completed on the DC side. In other words, all solar modules and cables were installed within a very short time." The AC side was then completed in the following months in order to make the electricity usable at the different locations. The customer now has approximately 120,000 kWh of regenerative energy per year available at each location. Under optimal conditions, this corresponds to a total output of all plants of over 1.5 MWp.
Shed, gable and green roofs
The diversity of the project is also shown by the different conditions on site. From shed roofs to gable roofs to green roofs, everything was included in this project pipeline. This made the project even more exciting for the C&I experts from Iqony Sens, as the different roof types have an influence on the substructure, the installation and the yield of a PV system.
Renewable energy for supermarket chains
The energy intensity of a supermarket depends on various factors:
- the size of the supermarket,
- the type of lighting,
- the air conditioning,
- refrigerators, freezers and other
- other electrical appliances.
In general, supermarkets are energy-intensive as they require many electrical appliances to cool, light and air-condition food. Refrigerators and freezers alone can account for up to 60 % of electricity consumption.
However, energy-efficient lighting and the use of renewable energy provide a remedy. That is why Iqony Sens would like to push ahead with such projects.
"There are still too many free roof areas in Europe that can be put to good use with photovoltaics. We would like to change that as quickly as possible by implementing such project pipelines," Herr explains the ambitions of Iqony Sens.
Published: 22.03.2023
