Ruhr Park Bochum focuses on renewable energies – construction of what will be Germany’s largest photovoltaic system on the roof of a shopping centre

Together with Stadtwerke Bochum, Ruhr Park is taking a big step towards sustainability: by spring of next year, the Bochum energy provider will install a photovoltaic system on the roof of Ruhr Park. With over 3,600 modules and an annual electricity yield of over 1.4 million kilowatt hours, this will be the largest photovoltaic system on the roof of a shopping centre in Germany. The project underlines that the retail and leisure destination takes its corporate responsibility in the city and region seriously and is expanding and strengthening strategic partnerships with local companies and organisations.

The state-of-the-art plant is an important milestone on the way to the medium and long-term goals of Ruhr Park’s operator and owner company, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW): to reduce CO2 emissions along the entire value chain by 50 percent by 2030, and by 90 percent by 2050, compared to 2015.
The first work on the plant has already begun, and it is scheduled to go into operation in April 2024. The photovoltaic system, which consists of a total of 3,626 modules, will generate around 1,434,000 kilowatt hours of green electricity annually. This is roughly equivalent to the electricity consumption of 410 single-family homes. The plant will save about 656 tonnes of CO2 per year. With the targeted self-consumption from the plant, 643,000 kilowatt hours, 44.8 percent of the total electricity consumption of the public areas of Ruhr Park will be covered.

Lars Horn, Centre Manager at Ruhr Park Bochum, says: “Making regenerative energies usable for our shopping centre is an important step in our sustainability concept. The plant is not only a sign of the ecological responsibility we take on locally, but also offers direct economic advantages because it has a positive impact on energy purchases. With Stadtwerke Bochum, we have an expert at our side with whom we have already worked successfully in the past. We are pleased about the project and the expansion of the cooperation with Stadtwerke.”

Frank Thiel, Managing Director of Stadtwerke Bochum, says: “The large roof areas of Ruhr Park are an ideal location to produce green electricity and thus ensure self-sufficiency with renewable energy. The photovoltaic system on the roofs of the shopping centre will be Bochum’s second largest installation. We are very pleased to be able to implement this exciting project from planning to commissioning and to supply Ruhr Park with energy in a safe and sustainable way in the future.”

„Better Places“: Sustainability at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield has committed to an ambitious sustainability strategy to address the biggest challenges facing the real estate industry. The Better Places strategy aims to sustainably transform and future-proof the portfolio, be meaningful to the company’s teams, support business partners in their sustainability efforts and provide exciting, sustainable experiences for visitors. In addition, the strategy aims to create shared value and benefit for communities in the locations where the company operates. Better Places is in line with the company’s overall vision of “Creating sustainable places that reinvent being together”.

More Information on Unibail-Rodamco-Westfields Sustainability Strategy:
https://www.urw.com/en/csr/better-places

The photovoltaic system at Ruhr Park at a glance:
• Area: 7.070 qm
• Number of solar modules: 3.626
• Annual electricity yield: 1,434,000 kWh (corresponds to the electricity consumption of 410 single-family homes)
• Ruhr Park own consumption: 643,000 kWh (corresponds to 44.8 % of the total electricity consumption of the public areas of the Ruhr Park)
• Power: 1.487 kW/p
• Saved emissions: 656.000 kg CO2

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