[Berlin, 19. January 2022] There are a handful of mustard-producing regions in Europe. The most famous, perhaps, is Dijon in France, while the British city of Norwich is the birthplace of the fiery English mustard. In Germany, the southern federal state of Bavaria holds a long and rich history of mustard production. Indeed, sweet Bavarian mustard is as much a staple of traditional Oktoberfest celebrations as beer, oompah bands and merry revelers.
And it is in Bavaria where historic family business Münchner Kindl produces its mouthwatering variety of mustards, crafted and honed over more than 100 years at their production site in Fürstenfeldbruck, just west of Munich.
Another more recent tradition that has taken a firm hold in Bavaria is the embrace of solar power, with the state a leader in photovoltaic energy in Germany. Münchner Kindl was one of the pioneers of the state’s PV revolution, and had paired solar power with mustard production for the past decade.
However, the site’s previous solar array was damaged in a recent hailstorm, and so the company called upon Q.PARTNER Fränkische Erneuerbare Energien GmbH (FEE) to develop a new state-of-the-art rooftop solar system using Qcells modules.
The installation was completed in the first week of December, with 404 Q.PEAK DUO-G9 solar modules installed atop Münchner Kindl’s flat roof at its main production site, delivering a PV system 141.4 kWp in size. The array is calculated to reduce the site’s CO2 emissions by 85,000 Kg per year, and any excess electricity that is not directly consumed is to be steered towards heating rods in several buffer tanks that are used to heat the water required for mustard production and cleaning.
In choosing Qcells’ Q.PEAK DUO-G9 350 W modules, Münchner Kindl benefits from leading Q.ANTUM Technology that boasts a zero-gap layout for higher power density. This helps ensure that fewer modules are required for the rooftop, helping to lower investment costs for the customer while still meeting the high expectations of performance, power and reliability for which Qcells is renowned. Furthermore, the Q.PEAK DUO-G9 module series was the first in the industry to pass TÜV Rheinland’s stringent new Quality Controlled PV (QCPV) program, which raises the bar for module efficiency and quality higher than ever.
Gerhard Endres, Managing Director of FEE, said: “An unfortunate hail storm event damaged Münchner Kindl’s previous solar system, but we were delighted to be able to assist the customer in a quick turnaround to get their solar ambitions back on track. As a Q.PARTNER, FEE was able to offer Münchner Kindle a compelling project vision, utilising Qcells’ industry-leading technology and excellent service network throughout Germany.”
Ralf May, Head of Sales DACH region for Qcells, added: “Natural weather events such as the hailstorm that destroyed Münchner Kindl’s previous solar system are extremely rare but not unavoidable. Qcells has a long and proud history of stringent module testing to ensure that our solar modules can withstand harsh conditions while continuing to perform optimally. We are delighted to have helped Münchner Kindl to quickly repower its production site with solar, and are grateful for this company – and others like it – for sustaining Germany’s stellar solar growth through their continued desire to embrace clean energy for their manufacturing.”
About Qcells
Qcells is a leading total energy solutions provider in solar cell and module, energy storage, downstream project business and energy retail. It is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea (Global Executive HQ) and Thalheim, Germany (Technology & Innovation HQ) with its diverse international manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Malaysia, China, and South Korea. Through its growing global business network spanning Europe, North America, Asia, South America, Africa and the Middle East, Qcells provides excellent services and long-term partnerships to its customers in the utility, commercial, governmental and residential markets. For more information, visit: www.q-cells.com.
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