Sustainable mobility at Venneker – first tests already underway

The use of electric mobility is of great importance for limiting climate change. In direct comparison with conventional trucks that use an internal combustion engine, an electronically powered truck is significantly more energy efficient. The limited range and long charging times for recharging the battery are a major challenge in converting the fleet to electric vehicles.

Solar panels on the vehicle roof could solve the problem.

Work on solar and photovoltaic modules for commercial vehicles has been underway for several years to further advance sustainable mobility. Researchers believe that solar power produced directly on the vehicle can improve the carbon footprint by 6% to 7%.

Because of their size, the roof surfaces of trailers and semitrailers in particular offer enormous potential for generating solar energy as an additional source of power during driving.

Photovoltaic modules for mounting on trailers can generate up to 80 kWh.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE is also working on integrated photovoltaic modules. A measurement campaign by the institute has shown that a typical truck trailer (approx. 40 t) with a photovoltaic roof area of approx. 38 m² can save between 1,500 and 2,100 liters of diesel per year through integrated PV modules.

The service life for such modules is estimated to be at least 15 years.

An additional plus for road safety: the melting of ice and snow on truck roofs can be supported by the modules.

We at the Venneker group have trained experts to analyze, assess and install this. We have already equipped two trailers with solar panels. We expect meaningful results of the first test phase in spring, here we have to check whether further planning for the conversion of the truck fleet is worthwhile.