Prologis Europe has been successful in winning ten on-roof solar contracts as part of the German government’s latest Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) tender. Prologis was one of the largest bidders of the 88-contract auction, winning a contract for every bid submitted.
The German government is accelerating the deployment of rooftop solar, announcing increased auction capacity from 650MW in 2023 to 900MW in 2024.
Prologis Europe operates approximately 3.15 million square metres of logistics real estate within Germany, with a total generation of 25MW of rooftop solar. These 10 contracts will add more than 16MW to Prologis’ solar portfolio, supplying energy to more than 11,000 German households per year. It expects to be able to assist the German government in reducing their CO2 emissions annually by approximately 13,300 tonnes.
Prologis Europe works with the public sectors in its 12 European markets to support the needs of local communities and businesses. These rooftop solar efforts increase capabilities of municipalities and local governments to generate clean, renewable energy locally, creating a more resilient and dependable source of energy as well as meeting sustainability goals.
According to Sean Greany, head of Energy, Prologis Europe, “We’re proud of our efforts into solar energy production and battery storage, which provide our customers and communities with increased access to clean, renewable energy as they transition from fossil fuel. Since the installation of our first solar panel in 2005, we have been pushing the boundaries in our industry—leveraging our scale, global presence and local expertise to help expand the generation of solar power and support the transition to renewable energy.”
Community solar in Europe
Community solar is still fairly new in Europe but is surely gaining traction. Governments and communities are looking for sources of clean, renewable energy at affordable rates. Industrial real estate, with large roofs on which to place solar panels, can be a tremendous source of solar power.
The Spanish government, for instance, are prioritising clean, renewable energy within Spain. It has a goal to ensure 74% of electricity is generated from renewable sources by 2030, and 100% by 2050.
Prologis Europe is working with one of its customers on a rooftop solar project in Madrid through its Prologis European Logistics Fund (PELF). In line with its clean energy strategy, it is part of Prologis Europe’s intent to be the largest community solar investor in Spain in 2024 and beyond, by expanding the size of this rooftop solar project and others in the pipeline.
With these new contracts in Germany, Prologis Europe continues to expand the areas where it is partnering with government agencies to help support the transition to clean energy.
Prologis achieves 500MW solar milestone
Rooftop solar and storage installations on Prologis Inc’s global portfolio can now generate 500 megawatts of energy—a significant milestone that puts the company halfway to its 1GW by 2025 goal. Apart from providing customers with clean power and potential cost savings through the Prologis Essential programme, its energy generation also feeds directly into local electrical grids in select regions, provides emissions-reduction and grid resilience benefits to local communities.