Bavaria's Minister of Economics Hubert Aiwanger climbed on the roof of the printing press manufacturer Canon in Poing: to visit the new large photovoltaic system.
Poing - Stefan Speer became a father twice in March, he reports: on the one hand, in real life, with the birth of his first son; on the other hand, symbolically, with the commissioning of the giant photovoltaic system of the printing press manufacturer Canon (formerly: Océ) in Poing. Speer is one of the employees there who was responsible for the project and implemented it. As of autumn 2019, a total of 4842 modules have been erected on five hall roofs, bringing a total output of 1.5 megawatts peak. This would cover a significant part of their own electricity consumption, Speer said. On Tuesday at 3:45 p.m. it was exactly 21 percent, as a live scoreboard in Canon's event hall showed.
Poing: Largest photovoltaic system of its kind
The plant, one of the largest of its kind in the region, has been in operation since March. It was officially presented on Tuesday - Bavaria's Minister of Economic Affairs Hubert Aiwanger (free voters) had come to Poing specifically for this. In his short speech he described the system as "a showpiece", which is a "shining example for all large roof areas". Not just across Bavaria, but "across Germany, across Europe, worldwide," said Aiwanger.
Poing: role model for others
Because this photovoltaic system could motivate other companies to implement such a project on commercial roofs. And because it is a contribution to saving agricultural land, on which large photovoltaic systems are being built over and over again. "It must be a priority that we use roofs for such systems," said Aiwanger. However, many traders would still hold back because they fear that it would not be profitable and / or that the structural substance of the roof would not allow such a system.
Minister of Economics Aiwanger full of praise
At Canon, these concerns were heard at the beginning, the responsible employees Stefan Speer and Harald Metzger (energy manager at Canon's Poing site) reported. But after thorough investigations it was clear: the system is profitable and it is possible on the roofs - even though they are already 33 years old.
Poing: Canon invests 1.3 million euros
Canon has invested almost 1.3 million euros in the photovoltaic project. The internationally leading printing press manufacturer Canon had awarded the contract for the installation to the municipal energy supply company of the Ebersberg district, the Eberwerk.
Project despite initial concerns
During the installation, they deliberately did not occupy the entire roof area of a total of 32,500 (five halls of 6500 square meters) with modules, but kept a space between them. In particular, to get the snow off the roofs with a snow blower if necessary, as Spear and Butcher explained. Minister of Economics Aiwanger is also impressed by this because it was thought to be pragmatic. "Thank you for your work," he called out to those responsible almost in a friendly manner: "Here you can experience the energy transition par excellence using living examples!"