Logistics properties can contribute to the energy transition
Logistics properties still have a problematic image in local authorities. Yet they could make a significant contribution to the success of municipal heat planning (KWP). This is the conclusion of the current study “Logistics properties as a pillar of municipal heat planning” commissioned by the Logistics Property Initiative (Logix). Participants discussed the potential they harbour and the contribution they can make to the energy and transport transition at a panel in Hall A2 at transport logistic on Wednesday.
In his keynote speech, Jannick Höper, Managing Partner at LIST Eco and one of the study directors, listed the many tasks facing municipalities with regard to climate-neutral energy supply: ‘Municipal heat planning, the electricity and energy transition, infrastructure for e-mobility - the requirements are currently enormous.’
According to Höper, municipalities should have achieved a climate-neutral heat supply by 2045. As a result, cities and municipalities are required to develop viable and realisable concepts for a sustainable heat supply. ‘Municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants will be obliged to submit a concrete heating plan from mid-2026, while smaller cities will have to follow suit by mid-2028,’ Höper continued. The need for action would be underlined by the approximately 150 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions that are currently generated annually by heating, cooling and hot water supply in buildings. As logistics properties can act as both energy producers and consumers, they have the potential to make a significant contribution to the local energy and heating transition.
Hardly any PV on commercial and logistics property roofs in Germany
Kuno Neumeier, CEO of the Logivest Group and spokesperson for the Focus Group “logistics property” of the Bundesvereinigung Logistik (BVL) e. V., began the panel discussion by pointing out that at least 80 per cent of electricity should come from renewable energies by 2030. At the same time, more than 80 per cent of commercial and logistics property roofs in Germany are not yet equipped with photovoltaics - especially in existing buildings. ‘There is huge potential here,’ says Neumeier.
As far as new buildings are concerned, project developers and owner-occupiers are now considering PV systems. Pfennig Logistics is no exception. ‘Energy generation and consumption are integral parts of our ESG strategy,’ explains Torsten Radszuweit, Head of Central Purchasing and Real Estate at Pfenning Logistics. The self-developed “Multicubes” all have rooftop solar panels. The green electricity produced there covers the property's own requirements, with any surplus electricity being fed into the grid.
‘We don't have a technology problem; we have an infrastructure problem’
But this is precisely where things are still lacking. ‘We don't have a technology problem, we have an infrastructure problem,’ says Jannick Höper. At times, more electricity is produced than the grids can absorb, and grid expansion is progressing slowly. Radszuweit also sees the reason for this in the fact that energy suppliers think in terms of individual properties rather than neighbourhoods. ‘We need to work more closely together here,’ says Radszuweit.
Meanwhile, the Worms-based logistics service provider TST is doing just that. The background to this is the development of its own charging infrastructure for e-trucks. ‘We want to install PV systems on the roofs of 41 TST locations to supply green electricity for the operation of the logistics centres,’ explains Katrin Herda, Head of E-Mobility & Energy Solutions at the TST Group. In addition, a charging infrastructure for battery-powered lorries is to be created at selected locations - with superchargers and large battery storage units. To this end, TST has founded a joint venture with an energy supplier that will operate the charging stations and supply the green electricity from the roof. (in)
