Düsseldorf, Germany -- Travelers flying in or out of DUS can enjoy a new sight: a field of 8,400 solar panels on an area as big as six soccer fields. The installation of all panels is complete, and solar energy production is scheduled to begin before the end of the year. The plant will generate two megawatts of sustainable energy per year, enough for 600 four-people households in Düsseldorf. A large monitor in the airport’s departure hall will display actual figures of energy generated and carbon dioxide saved.
Production of the plant – which is the largest ground-mounted system within the security zone of a German airport – started in October and was completed after only eight weeks, due to unseasonably warm weather in the area. The plant is a joint project of Düsseldorf International and a subsidiary of the city’s public services, Grünwerke GmbH, in an effort to rapidly increase the use of sources for local and renewable energy.
The unusual location for a PV plant represents a shift in the way public and private enterprises set priorities in energy management, and Düsseldorf’s major, Dirk Elbers, agrees: “A PV plant of this magnitude within the safety parameters of one of the country’s largest passenger airports reflects a new way of thinking about renewable energies, and we welcome it as another contribution of our city in the service of environment.”.
Christoph Blume, CEO of DUS, confirms: “Generating energy in a way that is environmentally sound is a priority for Düsseldorf International. That is why we are very excited about working on this future-oriented project with our city’s public services. Already, solar energy is not the only source of renewable energy at DUS. We also employ combined heat and power technology in a block heating station, and keep carbon dioxide emissions even lower this way.”
In League with New York, London, Paris and More
Adding to Düsseldorf’s appeal, several US & Canadian cities (Atlanta, Chicago, Ft. Myers, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Newark, San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver) offer non-stop flights. Passengers who continue their journeys can choose from numerous convenient connections to Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg and many other German and European cities. All together, 70 airlines serve 180 destinations worldwide – among them 125 European destinations. Another major advantage of the airport is its layout. With all gates in one terminal building, Düsseldorf International is the “airport of short distances” – guaranteeing minimum connection times of 35 minutes.
The airport is at the center of the Rhine Ruhr area, a bustling network of 53 connected cities and 18 million residents within 40 miles. It is the EU’s third largest market in volume and spending and equal to major metropolitan regions like New York, London and Paris. 500,000 companies are located in the area, including 5,000 offices of foreign corporations, the majority from the Netherlands, Japan and the USA. Many major international industry players including Fujifilm Europe, Nokia Siemens, Novell, Ericsson, Deloitte & Touche, McKinsey, and Toshiba are headquartered in Düsseldorf, which is a first-rate location for high-tech concerns. International presence and fast accessibility – guaranteed by DUS being one of Germany’s major hubs – make the location highly attractive.
Düsseldorf and North Rhine-Westphalia, ranked 17 in GDP among the world’s major industrial centers, also are home to some of the most significant exhibitions and trade shows in the world. Of the 50 annual events at Düsseldorf’s Exhibition Center, 23 are leading their industry worldwide, for example, printing technology (“drupa”), plastics and rubber (“K”), medicine (“MEDICA” and “REHACARE INTERNATIONAL”), leisure time (“boot”) or packaging (“interpack”).
For more information on Düsseldorf International Airport, visit http://www.fly2dus.com/.
