GARBE Renewable Energy – GREEN GmbH (‘GREEN’), a subsidiary of GARBE Industrial Real Estate GmbH (‘GARBE’), inaugurated the film photovoltaic system installed on the external façade in cooperation with the companies Heliatek GmbH (‘Heliatek’) and ADLER Smart Solutions GmbH (‘ADLER’) on 13 October 2021. 

Berlin Hohenschönhausen, 14 October 2021. The project, funded by the EU under the ‘LIFE’ programme, was officially commissioned on 13 October 2021 by representatives of the European Commission's funding commission, the project partner COMSA and representatives of the companies involved.

Avoiding CO2 emissions wherever possible – GREEN also pursues this goal for managed portfolio properties of GARBE. For example, the system can extend the lifespan and utilisation cycles of the properties and enhance the attractiveness of the locations long-term. Moreover, it can help avoid demolition, which is a waste of energy. If the installation of a conventional roof-mounted photovoltaic system is not possible on roofs due to insufficient static or structural stability, older buildings may be retrofitted in the future by mounting organic photovoltaic films laterally on their façades. As part of this pilot project, the innovative PV modules from Heliatek were installed by ADLER on the south side of the logistics hall in Berlin Hohen-schönhausen (Marzahner Straße) on an area covering almost 480 m². 

Mathias Wasko, Managing Director of GREEN, explains: ‘The cooperation with Heliatek offers us the po-tential to open up additional areas for the generation of electricity from renewable energies. Thanks to their low weight of less than 2 kg per m² plus easy application using the integrated adhesive on the back, the innovative properties of the solar films allow photovoltaic solutions to be integrated – even on buildings that are not suitable for conventional PV systems. Yet they also form an effective addition to PV roof sys-tems for boosting electricity yield.’

‘Our innovative HeliaSol® solar films are very light and flexible, as they’re based on a new type of solar technology. They enable solar power generation exactly on the surfaces where conventional solar solutions reach their limits due to their weight or the subsoil. Organic solar technology is the cleanest of all solar technologies and will help to achieve the ambitious GREEN targets. It’s also an important step towards a carbon-neutral future,’ adds Guido van Tartwijk, CEO of Heliatek.

‘Climate protection needs technical progress – that's why our innovative strength is also a central element of our company philosophy’, explains Tajo Adler, Managing Director of ADLER Smart Solutions, which spe-cialises in renewable energies and charging infrastructure. ‘So we’re really pleased to be a part of this project with our partners – a project that breaks new ground when it comes to maximising the use of sus-tainable power generation with real estate and buildings.`   

The pilot installation is intended to demonstrate the potential electricity yield that can be generated over the course of a year by using façades or buildings with insufficient load reserves for conventional PV systems. Garbe Renewable Energy GmbH hopes to establish long-term partnerships with Heliatek and ADLER in order to achieve ambitious goals in the medium term.

Picture photographer: Felix Löchner
 

Further information:

• press release in german language
• press release in english language