APAC goes energy-neutral with solar panels
APAC is now energy-neutral. Having installed a massive 660 solar panels on our roof, we can now provide for all our own energy needs: an important investment for the future.
Having installed 660 solar panels on the APAC building, the dream we first had when we moved here in 2013 has finally come true: we can generate all our own energy. Our solar roof generates more than enough electricity to power our offices and warehouse, along with a large part of our mobility. At present, we still supply all our surplus power back to the grid, which more than offsets the little gas we still use, as well as the corresponding emissions. In fact, we are already more than energy-neutral!
Off the gas
In time, we want to go a step further and switch to an electrical heating system for the building, eliminating the need for gas. To make this switch, we will use heat pump technology, which we’re intimately familiar with as a supplier of heat pumps ourselves.
Investing in the future
We’re happy with all the subsidies we will receive for the coming 17 years for greening our building, but we are also more than willing to invest ourselves. We had the roof reinforced, for instance, when it turned out that it would not be able to support all 660 solar panels, in order to contribute to a better future. The frame to which the solar panels have been mounted has a minimum lifespan of 50 years, which means we will be able to use it for 3 generations of solar panels and make our building energy-neutral for the next 50 years. A project to be proud of!
Greener working
The new way of working has also had positive effects: even though it is not always easier, it’s certainly more effective and better for the environment. This is the conclusion drawn in ‘Go digital, act sustainable’ a report by the Dutch Data Centre Association (DDA), which shows that the Netherlands cut its energy consumption by 10% and its carbon emissions by 5 Mtonnes in recent months, whilst the energy consumption of data centres increased by only 1-4%. We have also taken to the new way of working at APAC, whilst continuing to look for ways to meet our colleagues in the workplace. After all, seeing each other in real life is enjoyable and necessary and connects us as people.