MLP Group is embarking on a project to build rooftop solar power systems at ten logistic parks making up its Polish property portfolio. The project has been contracted to Quanta Energy. The PV panels will cover an aggregate area of about 120,000 sqm, featuring a total capacity of 5.93 MWp. The project is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2023.
It will be the largest ‘on-site’ project of this kind in Poland and the generated solar power will be used mainly to cover the parks’ own needs.
“Protection of the environment is fully integrated into our strategy of a Green Industrial Developer. Typically, all our new buildings are BREEAM and DGNB certified for environmental performance and functionality. Having partnered with Quanta Energy, we are now commencing a wide-ranging project to develop rooftop solar PV farms at our logistic parks. All these measures are geared towards the target of achieving zero carbon emissions in a few years. Environmentally sound solutions is also what our tenants expect. For clients operating in the warehouse industry a lower carbon footprint means delivering on their climate protection commitments, which are increasingly taken on by business operators, but also considerable savings from reduced costs of operating commercial space,” said Radosław T. Krochta, President of MLP Group S.A.
The soaring prices of electricity mean that – besides the environmental benefits of switching to green energy – the project will also help bring down costs. The renewable energy systems mounted on the roofs of MLP Group’s warehouse buildings, having a total capacity of 6.3 MWp, will generate some 6 GWh of electricity per year.
“The rates of return are in the region of 20 per cent based on active energy prices for 2022, and corporate projects have pay-off periods ranging from five to seven years. These returns are quite different from what we saw only three years ago. Active energy prices for 2022 across Europe, including Poland, have risen by up to 50-100 per cent depending on the time of purchase. This growth has been driven by several factors, including the rising prices of CO2 emissions, which in recent days have topped EUR 82 per tonne, an unprecedented spike in energy demand seen in 2021, the surging gas prices and a higher cost of ‘colour’ certificates. In addition the capacity fee, introduced in January 2021, will go up in 2022 from PLN 76.2 to PLN 102.6 per MWh, and we also expect a slight increase in distribution fees. Against this backdrop, solar power systems offer the most effective solution to the problem of rising energy costs,” commented Piotr Grzybczak, President of Quanta Energy S.A.
