As part of its logistics infrastructure, the globally active Bertschi Group operates an important rail terminal in Birrfeld for container transhipment between road and rail. The site is also home to a multi-storey office building, a container workshop and a tank cleaning facility. Due to energy-intensive activities carried out at the site, the total electricity consumption is 750,000 kWh. This corresponds to the annual consumption of approximately 187 households. With the installation of solar panels on the roofs of the three buildings, 240,000 kWh of energy can now be produced annually, covering about 30% of the electricity needs. A further 10% of the electricity is saved through process optimisations and investments in system renewals.

"In our corporate strategy, we have set binding targets for the reduction of our CO2 emissions and, to this end, we have also targeted the construction of solar plants at our locations. I am pleased that we have been able to realise a further step towards achieving these goals with the project in Birrfeld," explains Hans-Jörg Bertschi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bertschi Group. "Through intermodal transport – Bertschi handles 90% of its orders involving rail and short sea – we can already save 70% of CO2 emissions compared to direct road transport. The use of solar energy for our terminal activities enables us to further reduce our ecological footprint and offer even more sustainable services," adds Jan Arnet, CEO of the Bertschi Group.

Accordingly, the solar installations in Birrfeld are only intended to be an intermediate step, with other locations following suit. There are concrete plans to install another system at the Group’s headquarters in Dürrenäsch, which can generate up to 460,000 kWh of electricity and thus cover the annual needs of 115 households. In this sense, the journey has only just begun.