The hotel building on Kungsholmen in Stockholm was completely renovated in 2009, including the extension of offices on the top floor. The latest in a series of measures implemented by Afa Fastigheter is to rebuild the cooling centre and use cooling machines with heat pumps instead of district cooling. This also gives you a higher electricity consumption as a calculated consequence.
Therefore, Afa Fastigheter was looking for another, even more sustainable, solution: Installing solar cells.
"We always focus on sustainability and operational optimization. The reason we installed solar cells here is because it was a very good solution for this particular property, both with the installation of the cooling machines, and also as part of our sustainability work," says Jon Agerbjer, Technical Manager at Afa Fastigheter.
SBP was commissioned to carry out the work in a turnkey delivery. The installed solar cells have a potential production of about 110,000 kWh, which corresponds to the consumption of about 55 apartments.
- It was very easy to get everything in one package. We had no disturbances or complaints from any of our tenants throughout the implementation period. In addition, SBP handled everything from the building permit application all the way to the final decision. Even now after the project, I think that the feedback throughout the project has been above expectations. SBP has been very responsive to what we want and need," says Jon Agerbjer.
The plant was built on sedum roofs and according to Marcus Wicén, Head of Sales Development at SBP, it is a factor that further favors the choice of solar cells.
-Many of our customers are worried that the sedum roof will be damaged by installing solar panels. Over the years, we have carried out several installations on sedum roofs and this is compatible to say the least, as the roof suppliers have also confirmed for the projects. It has been explained that some shading means that different biotopes occur on the roof where plants that prefer shade become more frequent under the panels, he explains and continues:
"Afa Fastigheter is a very interesting company to collaborate with. On the one hand, they have an interesting stock and especially when they actively choose to prioritize investments with a strong sustainability focus. My interpretation is that they share our view of quality, both in technology choices and in project delivery.
Jon Agerbjer also sees that the investment contributes to something greater than just a better operation for the property. Being able to take advantage of his own electricity and what signals they send to others is something he is extra proud of.
"If we work towards reducing the load on the electricity network, it will also be easier for the electricity supplier to use green electricity. So it's about both the big and the small. This investment means that 20 percent of electricity consumption is now covered by solar electricity and it feels very fun.
