Euro-Bis now running on solar power

A significant portion of the latter group ends up at Euro-Bis in Oudenbosch, Brabant (of the mini-Sint-Pieter). The company is the powder coater of the Dutch awning industry. The durably powder-coater, because since this year the company generates its own electricity with 662 solar panels. 

The government requires companies and institutions to implement energy-saving measures. If they consume from 50,000 kWh or 25,000 m3 of natural gas or equivalent per year, they have an energy-saving obligation. This requires extra efforts from companies, but also provides an opportunity to save on energy costs. 

"So there is a legal duty on us to do something," says Pauline Klaassen of Euro-Bis. "But we thought it was important anyway, for ourselves, but also for the environment and for future generations. We had already done all kinds of things in recent years to reduce energy consumption. Solar panels on the roof was one more step we could take. A big step, but for now we don't regret it. The 662 panels produce enough electricity on an annual basis to meet our power needs. And what we produce extra, we can feed back to the grid." 

With an electricity consumption of approximately 200,000 kWh, Euro-Bis is among the large consumers. The 622 solar panels provide a maximum output of 230,000 kWh, more than enough to cover current consumption and future growth. 

The solar panels were installed by Zonnepanelen Brabant. "We immediately had a good feeling with this company," said Pauline Klaassen. "They took care of everything, up to and including support with the subsidy application. They responded quickly when we had questions and preparation and installation went extremely well." 

The installation of the solar panels did not require the roof of Euro-Bis' commercial building to be reinforced. Strength calculations had shown that the roof structure was strong enough, even with a large water or snow load. "That was a relief though," responds Pauline Klaassen. "The awning industry exploded at the onset of the corona crisis in the spring of 2020, and of course we noticed that too. So it was kind of nice for us that we could just keep working, which wasn't a given in corona time anyway." 

"At Euro-Bis we are happy with the solar panels," Pauline Klaasen concludes. "Highly recommended for other companies. Moreover, we are making a contribution to the environment. For now, only benefits!"