Sustainable power supply

Start using solar energy now: Arnulf (r.) and Olaf Piepenbrock (second from the left) inaugurated the new photovoltaic system in the presence of Osnabrück's Mayor Katharina Pötter and Ralf Minning (l.), Managing Director of the Osnabrück Economic Development Agency. (Image: Piepenbrock Group GmbH + Co. KG)

Piepenbrock relies on solar energy. The corporate group commissioned its photovoltaic system at the headquarters in Osnabrück in the presence of Mayor Katharina Pötter. Additional systems are being installed at three other locations. Together, they will generate approximately 1.8 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year.

Electricity from self-production will be available at four locations of the Piepenbrock Group in the future: at the headquarters in Osnabrück and at the main offices of the industrial subsidiaries LoeschPack, Hastamat, and Planol in Altendorf, Lahnau, and Hanau. Over the past few weeks, photovoltaic modules and the associated control technology were installed there. The system in Osnabrück was officially inaugurated together with Mayor Katharina Pötter. "We want to establish our energy supply sustainably. That’s why we decided to invest heavily in photovoltaic technology," says Olaf Piepenbrock, managing partner of the company group of the same name. Osnabrück’s Mayor Pötter hopes for many more: "Many companies often have large roof areas that are ideal for PV systems. Already, 26 municipal systems are installed on our city buildings. I am glad that the company Piepenbrock is also tapping into this potential, and I wish for many more companies to follow suit."

1.8 million kilowatt-hours of solar power

All modules combined will reach a maximum output of 2.17 megawatts. Piepenbrock and its subsidiaries mainly use the generated electricity for their own needs. Surpluses are fed into the public grid. "When all systems are connected, we will produce about 1.8 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. We also cover our electricity consumption beyond that with over 100 percent green electricity," says Olaf Piepenbrock. Economic motives were not the only consideration for the investment, the managing partner explains: "As a company, we have a responsibility to advance the energy transition. We want to do our part. Our photovoltaic systems are another building block in our company's sustainability strategy."

Lack of understanding about bureaucratic hurdles

Olaf Piepenbrock expressed his frustration with the high bureaucratic effort. On one hand, systems on flat roofs are limited to a maximum output of 750 kilowatts because excess electricity must be fully fed into the grid if this limit is exceeded. "This results in a loss of revenue," says the managing partner. Additionally, for systems over 135 kilowatts of maximum output, further certifications are required due to regulations from 2018 and 2019. "In Germany, there are numerous photovoltaic systems that are operational but cannot connect to the grid for months because a small step is missing – the certification," Piepenbrock explains.