HGK and RheinEnergie: New Rooftop Solar Plant in Ladenburg

Two subsidiaries of the Stadtwerke Köln Group (SWK) are working together for a cleaner future: In Ladenburg near Mannheim, Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln AG (HGK) and RheinEnergie AG have commissioned one of the largest rooftop solar plants on a logistics center to date.

(Ladenburg) The logistics service provider neska, a company of the HGK Group in the Logistics & Intermodal sector, has developed a state-of-the-art multi-user logistics center at its location in Ladenburg, Baden-Württemberg, which went into operation in 2021. A photovoltaic system consisting of approximately 10,000 solar modules has been installed on the roofs of the three halls. This allows for the annual generation of around 3.6 gigawatt-hours of green electricity, equivalent to the supply capacity of about 1,020 households. About two-thirds of the generated electricity is fed into the regional grid.

By displacing conventional electricity generation, the plant saves approximately 1,800 tons of CO2 annually. “The process of decarbonization is a central component of HGK’s sustainability strategy. The commissioning of this plant allows us to gradually improve the CO2 balance of our operations. For the HGK Group, this project also serves as a model to make further areas available for the construction of PV plants – even in the Cologne region,” says Uwe Wedig, CEO of HGK AG. “In light of the current energy price developments, we are very pleased that we can produce part of the required energy from renewable resources cost-effectively through self-generated and utilized electricity. At the same time, we can offer our customers a contribution to improving their climate balances through a more sustainable supply chain,” explains Markus Krämer, Chairman of the neska management.

A part of the photovoltaic system (approximately 750 kWp) feeds its electricity directly on-site into the logistics center. The remaining available roof area is utilized by Cologne’s RheinEnergie for a photovoltaic system with a capacity of around 3 MWp and has received a subsidy for this part of the plant in the BNetzA solar tender. The Cologne utility company is pursuing an ambitious decarbonization strategy and plans to decarbonize the entire electricity and heat supply by 2035. To this end, RheinEnergie is also investing in the expansion of PV and wind power plants. The plant in Ladenburg currently represents the largest rooftop PV plant of RheinEnergie.

“Given the rapidly rising energy costs, many companies are urgently looking for ways to take their energy supply into their own hands. Photovoltaic systems on hall roofs are a very good option in this regard, not only to produce green electricity but also to contribute to becoming somewhat independent from rising energy costs. The colleagues at RheinEnergie have the expertise to optimally utilize roof areas and implement such systems as a long-term partner. In addition, they develop an energy concept tailored to the needs of the customers,” says Achim Südmeier, Sales Board Member of RheinEnergie.

The warehouse and logistics center in Ladenburg, equipped with high-quality security technology, serves largely for the storage of goods from and for manufacturers in the region. Tailored to the local customer structure with many companies in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, both specially equipped areas for hazardous material storage and temperature-controlled storage are offered. The increased energy demand can be met regeneratively due to the photovoltaic solution.

The cooperation between HGK and RheinEnergie is not coincidental – they are sister companies of the Stadtwerke Köln Group. For the installation and construction of the plant, RheinEnergie was able to rely on a specialized company in the immediate vicinity of the project site: Goldbeck Solar GmbH from Hirschberg an der Bergstraße is one of the most experienced and largest companies when it comes to the construction of large solar parks and rooftop systems throughout Europe.

The establishment of the modern logistics facility has also created new jobs in Ladenburg. Where an industrial operation had previously been shut down, more than 150 tariff-secured jobs have now been created through the investment of the HGK Group, and additional transports on the road have been reduced by consolidating locations.

Photo: © HGK / A. Sturm / Caption: Present at the commissioning of the solar plant in Ladenburg (from left to right): Joachim Goldbeck (Managing Director Goldbeck-Solar), Achim Südmeier (Sales Board Member RheinEnergie), Markus Krämer (Chairman of the neska management), Susana dos Santos Herrmann (Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of HGK AG), Fadime Tuncer (Member of the State Parliament of Baden-Württemberg), Uwe Wedig (Chairman of the Board of HGK AG) and Günter Bläß (Deputy Mayor of the City of Ladenburg).