Akademiska Hus is expanding the production of environmentally friendly electricity in connection with the installation of a new solar cell system on the roof of Terrahuset, where the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI) and the Swedish Geotechnical Institute (SGI) have their operations. The facility covers an area of approximately 2,100 square metres and will expand the supply of locally produced energy to the entire campus area, where Linköping University is the largest tenant. The investment made by Akademiska Hus lands at approximately SEK 6.3 million.
- Solar energy is both fossil-free and renewable, which means that it has a minimal impact on the climate. Investing in solar cells is part of our sustainability work to reduce the amount of energy delivered and to achieve our ambitious goal of a climate-neutral business by 2035," says Erik Florman, Head of Sustainability at Akademiska Hus.
A total of 1.6 million kWh of solar energy
The new photovoltaic system will generate about 410,000 kWh, which is equivalent to the annual energy consumption of 30 normal-sized villas or 50 laps around the world with an electric car. The addition from Terrahuset, together with the already existing solar cell systems at Studenthuset, Kärnhuset and B-building, will increase Campus Valla's total energy production of solar electricity to approximately 1.6 million kWh annually, which in turn accounts for almost six percent of the campus area's annual electricity consumption.
"Since sustainable urban transformation is a prioritised target area for Linköping University, the investment in solar cells is important. We see great potential in contributing to sustainable development together with others, and Akademiska Hus is an important partner for us when it comes to, for example, energy savings," says Niklas Selander, Director of Real Estate at Linköping University.
Akademiska Hus already has 129 facilities in its national property portfolio that annually produce 9.5 million kWh of sustainable electrical energy for Swedish higher education institutions. This makes Akademiska Hus the real estate company in the country with the most solar cell installations. Until 2024, the company plans to take further action by installing more plants that, when completed, will contribute to Akademiska Hus' total amount of solar electricity being estimated to amount to just over 13.5 million kWh per year.