Allied Waters partner Waternet opens solar park in Nieuwegein
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On 27 September Waternet, partner in the Allied Waters project 'Solar Power to the People', opened a new solar park in Nieuwegein on behalf of the WRK (N.V. Watertransportmaatschappij Rijn-Kennemerland). This is the first part of the solar park which is currently being developed at the WRK site in Nieuwegein. After the opening, the solar park containing 14,000 solar panels was put into operation.
The solar park was officially opened by Kees van den Berge, sector director of Waternet, and Marieke Schouten, the alderman for Sustainability at the municipality of Nieuwegein. Kees van den Berge, Waternet: “Waternet aims to be climate-neutral by 2020. One of the options for reducing our carbon footprint is the use of solar energy. This project fits in well with our ambition. The electricity yield is equal to the power consumption of about 900 households. We expect to have installed around 60,000 solar panels at our sites in 2020. ”
Marieke Schouten, the alderman for Sustainability at the municipality of Nieuwegein: ” Nieuwegein is very pleased with this initiative. In 2040, the municipality of Nieuwegein aims to be an energy-neutral city, which ambition is expressed in the ‘Roadmap Energy Neutral Nieuwegein 2040’. In cities with an urban character, large-scale sustainable generation is a challenge and we have to look for smart combinations and cooperation. This solar park fits in well with that ambition and with that challenge. ”
Solar Power to the People
Part of the concept ‘Solar Power to the People’ green electricity is used for different purposes:
driving a heat pump for storing caloric energy in an aquifer,
