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On 19th October, the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre and Gothia Towers inaugurated its roof top solar panel installation, as the first integrated exhibition and hotel venue to take such an initiative. The solar panel installation is part of the venue’s business strategy to create long-term value by championing initiatives that contribute to sustainable development, both locally and globally.
‘Investing in sustainable solutions has been a long-term business strategy since 2015, and is also a way to future-proof a profitable business by continuing to be an attractive venue for our customers,’ says Carin Kindbom, President and CEO, Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre and Gothia Towers.
Circular resources is a priority focus area in sustainability for the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre and Gothia Towers, and the solar panel installation is one of the venue’s initiatives to meet the UN’s Global Goals for Sustainable Development by 2030. The venue has run on fossil-free electricity from wind power since 2011, and the solar panel installation will accelerate the process of supplying the venue with renewable energy.
‘Through a circular approach, we reset our business and create efficient ecocycles that further reduce our environmental impact, decrease our emissions and ensure smart use of our resources,’ comments Joachim Hult, Real Estate Director, Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre and Gothia Towers.
The new solar panel installation is the largest of its kind in central Gothenburg and saves approximately 57 tonnes of CO2 per year, equivalent to about 385 return flights between Stockholm and Gothenburg*. In the longer term, the circular resource flow will be able to form part of a larger ecosystem that others can also benefit from.
‘Our city centre location, size and capacity give us the right conditions to contribute to sustainable development in a larger context in the local area, for instance by providing charging infrastructure in collaborative projects like Gothenburg Green City Zone,’ says Henrik Martinsson, Technical Manager, Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre and Gothia Towers.
The Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre and Gothia Towers has been a venue for business, collaboration and innovation for over a century, as a private independent foundation. In a normal year, the business generates roughly SEK 3.2 billion in tourism revenue for the city of Gothenburg.
Facts about the solar panel installation:
Solar generator output 198.22 kW peak
Generator area for solar panels 964.4 m²
Number of solar modules 486
Number of inverters 2
*Climatehero.me
