Solar refresh for an industrial façade

Lechwerke AG supply reliably a large area of southwestern Bavaria, Germany with electricity. In May 2019, a new energy source has been activated: At the grain silo of the “Schneller Mühle”, a mill in Donauwörth, approx. 230 m² of 6 m long HeliaSol® modules were installed in only four days at a height of around 20 metres.

Heliatek and innogy-associated municipal utility Lechwerke (LEW) are testing the low-carbon OPV technology for the first time on rough concrete, at such a height and covering such a large area as part of a long-term evaluation. The system is expected to generate around 6.700 kWh electricity per year.

Michael Schneller, Owner of the Schneller Mühle: “Mills were among the first generators of renewable energy. We want to continue this tradition and have therefore been considering investing in a PV system for years. With conventional PV modules, we would have had to drill holes, which might lead to serious damages on the building. With HeliaSol® this is not the case, the modules are simply glued on. For us, this is the ideal way to generate our own electricity.”

The pilot system at Schneller Mühle will be monitored and evaluated regularly. Results will be considered in Heliatek’s product development and optimization in view of the start of high-volume production in summer next year.

For more information, here the press release from LEW.