Zealand's largest roof-integrated solar park now sees the light of day on top of Bella Center in Copenhagen. Once all the solar cells are connected, the total capacity will be of 2.79 MW. This means that the solar cells will produce green energy equivalent to the annual power consumption of 537 Danish households of two adults and two children.

The solar cell park is part of the sustainability strategy of the Bellagroup, which owns Bella Center. It has for some time undertaken a variety of initiatives to reduce energy consumption in the group's hotels and venues. Earlier this year, the new Bella Arena received a certification for sustainable construction thus making it part of an international gold standard. The group is now ready for the next step and will start producing its own energy.

"It really seems an obvious choice to utilise the many flat roofs in big cities to create green energy, and there are not many buildings with such a large roof surface as ours. We are determined to work with sustainability and responsibility across all our hotels and venues as part of our responsible hospitality strategy. So, we are delighted to start utilising the roof's potential to generate renewable energy for Bella Center and AC Hotel Bella Sky," says Christian Folden Lund, CEO at Bellagroup.

One of Europe's most ambitious congress centers

The Bella Center is already one of Europe's most ambitious congress centers when it comes to integrating climate and environmental considerations and social sustainability into its production. With the solar cells Bella Center takes another step in the green direction. The in-house production of green electricity will be equivalent to well over a third of the center's power consumption in 2021.

"The climate footprint is an important parameter when our customers choose where their large international conferences take place. Copenhagen is already known as a green choice, and that is position we would like to reinforce. As Northern Europe's largest conference venue, we would like to be at the forefront of the development of what responsible hospitality will look like in the future. We are taking one giant step with the new solar panel system, but we will keep looking for new ways to improve further still," says Christian Folden Lund.

Bellagroup also plans to replace 5,500 light bulbs at the AC Hotel Bella Sky with LED

lighting in 2023. With the establishment of the new solar park, it will reduce Bellagroup’s CO2 emissions by more than 400 tonnes annually.

The most ambitious solar project on Zealand

The company NRGreen is behind the construction of the new solar park on the roof of the Bella Center. It will cover an area of 16,000 m2, which is comparable to two large football fields.

A firston Zealand.

"It is the largest and most ambitious project that we have ever taken part in. It is by far the largest of its kind in Zealand. With the solar park, Bella Center will generate green energy using a space that is currently not put to any use. It will not disturb anyone’s view, nor will it take up any space in the landscape," says Simon Borbiconi, partner at NRGreen.

Facts:

• Size: 16,000 m2 or the equivalent of two football pitches.
• Capacity: 2.79 MW or approximately 537 households' annual consumption.
• Annual CO2 reduction: 379 tonnes