Bronkhorst High-Tech opts for renewable energy

Installation of 910 solar panels and a ground source heat pump

Bronkhorst High-Tech is expressly choosing a sustainable route, with the installation of 910 solar panels on four of the company's buildings in Ruurlo. The new canteen will have a ground source heat pump and a climate ceiling. The project is scheduled to be completed by the middle of July 2019.

Corporate social responsibility is one of the spearheads of Bronkhorst High-Tech. The company underlines that this includes maximum use of renewable energy. With existing buildings, it is not always easy to make the transition to sustainability. There are many more possibilities for new buildings, and Bronkhorst is now taking advantage of them to construct the larger canteen next to the main building. We care about the environment and our surroundings and wish to minimise our use of fossil fuels in the future. This is what our efforts are focusing on. Bronkhorst’s operations mainly involve electronics (and lighting), consuming a great deal of power as a result. That got us thinking, and it quickly became clear that solar energy could offer a solution.

Climate ceiling

The floor area of the new canteen is around 1000 square metres, four times as large as in the old situation. It is also being built with future growth in mind. The flexible layout makes it a multifunctional building.

In addition to serving as a canteen, it can also be used for meetings or as a conference room. The building is under construction and will have excellent insulation, triple glazing and LED lighting; heating and cooling will take place by means of a ground source heat pump. There is no gas connection. The heat pump uses soil energy from a source at a depth of 35 metres. This also allows the main building to be partially cooled.
In addition, there will be a programmable climate ceiling to ensure a comfortable and smart indoor climate.

First step

All the sustainability measures are intended to create an energy-neutral building. Solar panels will be installed on the roof of the canteen and three existing buildings. A total of 910 PV panels are involved. This will generate approximately 250,000 to 275,000 kWh of electricity annually, a quarter of our total electricity consumption. We therefore regard this development as a first step.
What is special here is that Bronkhorst's gas flow meters/controllers are used in the production of solar panels. Sustainability is also evident from the collection of rainwater in a wadi (a buffering and infiltration facility) on the company’s own premises, the reuse of raw materials and waste separation.