Press releases

Since May 2009, the project partners W-quadrat and IBC SOLAR have installed a total of over 2,200 polycrystalline PVNot only the abbreviation for photovoltaics. The term is composed of Photon (Hellenistic for light) and the name of the physicist Alessandor Volta (1745 – 1827), at his time one of the leading scientists in the field of galvanic electricity (chemical procedures as for instance while immersing metals into acid. He constructed the first electrical battery in 1780. modules and 48 inverters on the roof of the Mercedes-Benz factory building in Berlin. With a peak power of 500 kilowatts, this is the most powerful rooftop system in Berlin. It can supply at least 100 homes with electricity with its peak power of approximately 430,000 kilowatt hours per year. Compared with conventionally produced electricity, 250 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year can be saved.

The planning and turnkey construction of the system was accomplished by W-quadrat, the components were supplied by the PV specialist IBC SOLAR. The 1.6 million Euro system is financed and operated through a non-public solar fund by limited partners, including IBC SOLAR and W-quadrat, which have leased the roof surface of the Mercedes-Benz factory.

"It was an interesting task for us to plan and realize this project," explains Günter Westermann, Managing Director of W-quadrat. "The assembly at the Mercedes-Benz factory presented us with a number of challenges: For example, the roof had to be renovated before installation and the external lightning protection had to be adapted. Furthermore, we had to fulfill special safety requirements for the factory. The cooperation with all the involved parties went very smoothly, and normal production could continue even during installation."

"With their factory roofs, companies can tap unused potential", explains Udo Möhrstedt, Chairman of the Board of IBC SOLAR AG. "The large roof surfaces are well-suited for powerful photovoltaic systems. Small and medium-sized enterprises in Germany can finance the entire investment costs of a system through the German development bank KfW Förderbank, as well as using special write-offs. Additionally, it is possible to lease the roof surfaces. In this way, companies can contribute greatly to environmentally friendly power generation while earning money – an opportunity many companies are not yet aware of."