Green future in sight: Solarimo and Grünenthal inaugurate the largest ground-mounted photovoltaic system in the city of Aachen

Berlin/Aachen - In January 2023, Solarimo, a subsidiary of ENGIE Deutschland, and the pharmaceutical company Grünenthal announced the construction of a large-scale photovoltaic system on the Grünenthal site. Within just three months, from April to June 2024, Solarimo's experts erected the ground-mounted system with around 4,000 solar modules and an output of 1.9 megawatts peak. The Solarimo team successfully completed the commissioning phase at the end of July. The participants have now officially inaugurated the largest ground-mounted photovoltaic system in the city of Aachen and one of the largest in the Aachen region. This special event was attended by numerous representatives from politics and business, including the Deputy Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia, Mona Neubaur, and the Mayor of Aachen, Sibylle Keupen. Christoph Hausser, emphasizes: "We are delighted that the commissioning of the new ground-mounted photovoltaic system brings us a decisive step closer to our goal of reducing net emissions by 50 percent by 2030 compared to 2020. Another advantage of the partnership: thanks to Solarimo, we will be able to purchase part of the electricity we need at a fixed price over the next 20 years and are therefore less exposed to the usual fluctuations in energy prices." This is because the plant was built as part of an on-site PPA (Power Purchase Agreement), under which Grünenthal will benefit from self-sufficiently produced and environmentally friendly electricity until 2044.

Secure all-round care

Solarimo's comprehensive service contributes to the security of supply: The experts operate the system, supply the electricity to the Grünenthal plant and are responsible for the regular maintenance of the technology. The specialists laid over 21,000 meters of cable to ensure the technically flawless operation of the solar system. The system is connected to Grünenthal's building management system and energy monitoring system so that the pharmaceutical company can use the electricity efficiently directly in production. The pharmaceutical company pays a fixed price for the electricity, which is lower than that charged by the energy supplier from the grid. Grid fees and electricity tax are eliminated due to operation on the company's own premises. Dave Gebauer, Managing Director of Solarimo, concludes:

„Thanks to the PPA, our customer saves 366 tons of CO₂ every year. The project thus demonstrates that decarbonization can only succeed together and with a long-term approach. The basis for this is trust and a win-win situation for both sides. This is guaranteed by fair prices, maximum security of supply and reliable service. We would like to thank Grünenthal for the trusting partnership!“

Dave Gebauer, Managing Director of Solarimo GmbH, Gabriel Baertschi, CEO of Grünenthal, Mona Neubaur, Deputy Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Christoph Hausser, Site Manager Grünenthal Deutschland, and Niklas Wiegand, Managing Director of ENGIE Deutschland GmbH (from left to right), at the inauguration of Aachen's largest solar plant.