Europa-Park has invested with Baden-Württemberg automotive logistics company MOSOLF for a photovoltaic system of more than 20 hectares (49 acres) in Kippenheim near Lahr. The plant produces about 25 gigawatt hours of electricity from renewable energies after completion.
Europa-Park owner Roland Mack says, “It was the idea of District Administrator Frank Scherer to bring our two companies together. The company MOSOLF, which also has an important location in the Ortenau district in Kippenheim near Lahr, has huge parking spaces and we as Europa-Park need a lot of energy at peak times. The joint project is a perfect synergy of two family businesses in Ortenau. I got to know CEO and owner Dr. Jörg Mosolf as a very far-sighted, successful entrepreneur and look forward to working with him. The MOSOLF Group already has experience with high-performance photovoltaic systems on large parking spaces.”
The total investment volume of the project is around 30 million euros (US$31.9 million). About half of the area of the new plant — i.e. around ten hectares — is intended for the supply of Europa-Park.
Mack notes, “The plant is to go into operation in 2024. Europa-Park absorbs a significant part of the energy generated and can supply itself with renewable electricity independently of other energy sources in the long term, especially in high season summer months. This will be an important step towards renewable energy production. We already operate photovoltaic systems, hydropower and combined heat and power plants, but this new system opens up a completely new dimension in renewable energy supply.” Looking to the future, Europa-Park relies on powerful storage solutions that would enable even greater use of solar energy in the medium term.
Just a few months ago, the MOSOLF Group put the first construction stage of a photovoltaic parking canopy in Germany into operation in Rackwitz, Saxony. However, the new project in Kippenheim will become by far the largest PV roof in Germany.
The CEO of the company, Dr. Jörg Mosolf, comments: “As a partner of this promising project, the MOSOLF Group makes an important contribution to electricity generation from renewable energies and to the success of the energy transition. The expansion of photovoltaic parking canopies is an important building block in the context of energy security and the predictability of energy costs. We contribute our experience from the realization of similar projects from Rackwitz, Saxony and France. In addition to the availability of sustainably generated energy, additional added value is created for our customers, the vehicles are protected from the influence of weather and extreme weather events. In the coming weeks, we are planning further discussions with interested large electricity consumers, especially here in the region, about further long-term electricity purchase agreements in order to enable even more companies to participate in the energy transition.”
