One step ahead with solar energy: For many Prologis clients, sustainability and the responsible use of resources is a high priority. Computacenter, Europe's leading independent service provider for information technology, shares these values.
When Prologis developed a customized logistics facility in 2018 for Computacenter in Kerpen, Germany, sustainability was already a significant consideration, which is why the building was awarded a Gold Certificate from the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB). Now Computacenter has gone one step further by installing 1,728 solar modules, a total of approximately 3,200 square meters, on the roof of the distribution center in Prologis Park Kerpen. To achieve this, the company used Prologis’ SolarSmart service.
Sustainable and Economical
The photovoltaic system went into operation on October 1, 2021. It consists of exceptionally lightweight solar panels that were adapted for the roof of the logistics facility. “The 600-kilowatt peak photovoltaic system allows us to save 315 tons of carbon dioxide each year, reducing our company's carbon footprint by approximately 4%,” said Burkhardt Langen, head of facility management at Computacenter. “SolarSmart helps us as it continues to make our operations even more sustainable without much effort.”
Computacenter will use 83% of the energy generated by the solar system onsite. The remaining 17% will be fed into the power grid. The photovoltaic system will reduce Computacenter's electricity consumption at the logistics facility by up to 26%.
In 2018, Computacenter moved into the facility of 29,000 square meters and uses the logistics space to store IT hardware, configure customized hardware and provide repair services, among other things. In addition, Prologis invested in the Kerpen infrastructure and had a roundabout built to allow both employees and truck drivers to reach the logistics park easily.
Customer-Centric Solutions
“Offering our customers facilities that meet the highest quality and sustainability requirements is very important to us,” says Stefan Olesch, director project management at Prologis. Prologis puts sustainability at the heart of everything it does and is constantly looking for opportunities to conserve resources. That's why the logistics real estate developer will expand its solar program in Germany in the future. In addition to SolarSmart, this also includes the service Solar X. With Solar X, companies that are not customers of Prologis can rent the roofs of Prologis facilities to install solar systems.
Learn more about Prologis Park Kerpen.
Commissioning of the photovoltaic system at Prologis Park Kerpen: (from left) Burkhardt Langen (Authorized Signatory, Facility & Fleet Management Computacenter AG & Co oHG), Sonja Nitschke (Vice President, Customer Led Solutions, Prologis), Karsten Keck (Project Manager Facility Management Computacenter AG & Co. oHG), Markus Buortesch (Manging Director Greenovative GmbH) and Stefan Olesch (Director, Lead Customer Led Developments Germany, Prologis)
Computacenter opts for solar energy and equips the roof of Prologis Park Kerpen DC1 with solar panels by using Prologis' SolarSmart service.