Sunshine is now providing about 30 percent of the electricity needs at LUKAS Hydraulic GmbH in Erlangen, Germany, after the recent completion of a rooftop solar array installation.
The 1,314 panels can generate 500 kilowatts peak (kWp) and save the equivalent of 256 tons of carbon dioxide over the course of a year. The amount of electricity generated equals the needs of about 120 homes. It’s estimated it will save LUKAS more than 67,000€ in the first year alone.
LUKAS Strategic Buyer Naim Zekiri developed the business case and was the driving force behind making the project happen. He approached it from a cost perspective, but with an appreciation of the changing climate and what clean energy means to future generations.
“With the help of the PV plant, several goals are combined at the same time,” Zekiri said. “In addition to safeguarding our competitiveness, we can protect the climate and the environment and cover around 30 percent of our electricity requirements ourselves in the future.”
While economics, power utility infrastructure, and government incentives vary around the world, we anticipate this project will serve as a pilot, leading the way for other solar installations on IDEX facilities around the world.
Part of IDEX Fire & Safety, LUKAS is a leading manufacturer of hydraulic rescue tools, including cutters, spreaders, rescue rams and strongarms.
