Probably the largest façade photovoltaic system in Germany

Over the past few weeks, Elektro Birk from Oberkirch has installed what is probably the largest façade photovoltaic system in Germany on the entire east and south façades of the Print Equipment warehouses.

This façade equipment is just one part of Print Equipment’s comprehensive energy concept. The first hall with 5,500 square meters of storage space was built in 2017, and the following year the first photovoltaic system (PVA) with 392 kilowatt peak (kWp) was installed on the roof, generating 400,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per year. Last year, a second hall with an area of 4,000 square meters was added and a PV system with an output of 533 kWp was also installed on the roof.

The first façade PV system on the south side of the administration building with an output of 19 kWp was put into operation at the end of 2022. Façade PV allows solar radiation to be distributed more evenly throughout the day, which ensures good yields, especially in the winter months when the sun is low. It therefore made sense to also use the facades of the warehouses for PV systems. The current installations cover the entire east (160 meters long) and south facades (55 meters long) of both warehouses, with the upper 10 meters of the twelve-meter wall height being used.

In order to optimize self-consumption, a 192 kWh battery storage system is also being installed. The electricity generated is consumed, a portion is buffered in the storage system and the rest is fed into the grid. “Our aim is to achieve as much self-sufficiency as possible and buy in as little electricity as possible,” says Mario Panter, Managing Director of Print Equipment.
The additionally required transformer station has now been connected and the systems are due to be commissioned shortly.

“The PV systems are a further step towards a sensible eco-balance. I want to ensure that the buildings have as little environmental impact as possible,” says the company boss. In addition to PV systems, the company also relies on innovative heating concepts, intelligent lighting control and the promotion of electromobility to achieve this goal.