Woodsafe goes solar

27 November 2020


Flame-retardant impregnation company Woodsafe Timber Protection and solar energy company El av Sol Nordic have built Västmanland county’s largest roof-mounted solar power plant at Woodsafe's factory in Sweden. The plant will have a peak output of 500 kilowatts.

"We will now achieve our sustainability strategy goals of making Woodsafe carbon neutral and self-sufficient through electricity from the sun's rays,” said Thomas Bengtsson, CEO of Woodsafe. “It's important for us to contribute to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals in Agenda 2030.”

To be commissioned at the turn of the year, Woodsafe's solar power plant will consist of around 1,500 solar cell panels pointing south, east and west to harness the maximum amount of solar hours. Woodsafe will be the primary consumer of the energy, but when there is a surplus, it will also go to nearby houses in Hökåsen and Tillberga. The plant will have a peak output of 500 kilowatts, which corresponds to the energy consumed by approximately 100 normal size houses.

Companies investing in solar power help meet the UN's 2030 Agenda Global Development Goals, particularly the Sustainable Energy Goals for All, Sustainable Communities and Climate Change Control.

"Woodsafe's business operations of impregnating wood with fire-retardant is itself an initiative to make buildings more sustainable,” said Mr Bengtsson. “We can now also offer construction companies sustainably sourced materials so that they can build in line with environmental certification systems such as Breeam, GreenBuilding and Leed.”

Two years ago, Woodsafe invested in a new biofuel plant using wood pellets to provide all the heat the business needs. Woodsafe's forklifts are electrically powered and the company's loading machine is powered by biodiesel. Woodsafe sorts all waste according to the regulations of municipal waste management company Vafab Miljö. Woodsafe is ISO 14001 certified.

"Like Woodsafe, many companies see the benefit of investing in a solar power plant that can generate the electricity that the business needs and a surplus that can be sold. El av Sol has built more than 500 solar power plants all over Sweden and the market only continues to grow," said Håkan Lindberg, founder of El av Sol Nordic.