By the end of 2024, Koelnmesse will have over 20,000 m2 of solar panels on the roofs of its halls.
Five hundred photovoltaic modules have been mounted on the newly opened Confex building at Koelnmesse to convert sunlight into green electricity.
Cologne's most extensive inner-city photovoltaic system, comprising 4,800 modules, has been added to the roof of Hall 11. It has promised an annual yield of around two million kilowatt hours (kWh). Another large-scale system is already under construction.
"Starting operation of this large photovoltaic system is an important step to a sustainable energy supply," said Gerald Böse, CEO of Koelnmesse GmbH.
"And we're not done yet. A further 2,100 solar modules have already been delivered and installed on the roof of our Hall 1."
Henriette Reker, mayor of Cologne and Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of Koelnmesse GmbH, also emphasised the significance outside the company.
“By generating its solar power, Koelnmesse is consistently pursuing its own sustainability goals and, simultaneously, sending a strong signal for the energy transition in Cologne and the surrounding region. This is another step toward a climate-neutral Cologne,” said Reker.
The construction of the photovoltaic systems is part of Koelnmesse's sustainability strategy, which aims to achieve climate neutrality for the company and its events by 2030.
"Photovoltaics play a key role in our energy mix. The electricity we produce will help us significantly reduce our CO2 footprint in future,” said Horst Harbusch-Geier, Vice President of Infrastructure.
The system commissioned atop Hall 11 alone will enable annual savings of 1,200 tonnes of CO2 compared to the average electricity mix in Germany. With further expansion of the photovoltaic systems on the roof of Hall 1, 1,850 tonnes of CO2 will be saved per year starting at the end of 2024.
The electricity generated by the solar panels will be used directly on-site at Koelnmesse. With the energy partner E.ON, we are currently examining how surplus electricity from the photovoltaic systems could be used.
As part of an energy partnership with E.ON and RheinEnergie, Koelnmesse will also be converting the entire heating supply of its Cologne trade fair grounds to climate-friendly technologies by 2028.
The systems will obtain energy from sustainable sources, including air, groundwater and the sun. The innovative heating and energy concept, in combination with the RheinEnergie district heating system, ensures further significant CO2 savings of 5,800 tonnes per year.
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