FM newsroom – office, solar energy. Warsaw UNIT will be the first skyscraper in Poland to be powered 100% by clean energy. The developer’s own photovoltaic farms will provide the energy for the building. Ghelamco is committed to further developing its renewable energy infrastructure.
Bold steps toward zero-emission
The use of clean energy at Warsaw UNIT, an office building developed and owned by Ghelamco, will reduce more than 50 % of CO2 emissions in the building’s global lifecycle and 70 % of utility consumption – Property-Forum reports.
“For us, it is important to pursue sustainable development goals, and this project definitely fits into Ghelamco’s strategy of achieving energy neutrality. In earlier years, we bought green, certified energy, so our own solar farms represent a bold step forward toward zero-emissions” – told Jarosław Zagórski, Managing Director, Ghelamco Poland.
Thanks to the decarbonization service in a remote model, entrepreneurs can also reap the benefits of renewable energy even if they don’t have enough space or the right conditions to install photovoltaic panels on their own property.
“As the example of Warsaw UNIT shows, energy transformation also does not have to involve a required contribution. ESCOlight offers a budget-neutral solution for the customer – from full financing and comprehensive project implementation to operation and maintenance of the farms. As a result, it becomes a producer of green energy with no capital expenditure, and when the subscription expires, the photovoltaic farms become its sole property and continue to generate profits” – explains Bartosz Radkowiak of ESCOlight.
Altogether 11 solar farms will serve Ghelamco projects. The first farm was commissioned in November 2023 and the first Ghelamco building to use the energy of the company’s own photovoltaic farm is the Warsaw UNIT skyscraper.
“We are not stopping there and are committed to further developing our renewable energy infrastructure”, assures Jarosław Zagórski.
Energy-efficient and low-carbon UNIT
With 46 storeys and 202 meters high, Warsaw UNIT is one of the most environmentally friendly and technologically advanced skyscrapers in Europe. The building was the first in the country to receive WELL Core certification with the Platinum rating and the first high-rise building to earn BREEAM with the highest possible Outstanding rating. Its sustainability is also confirmed by certification in the WELL Health-Safety Rating, Green Standard Building and “Barrier-Free Facility” systems.
According to Property-Forum, more than 10 MW of green energy from photovoltaic farms will power Warsaw UNIT. The energy-efficient and low-carbon character of the complex is ensured daily by more than 40,000 sensors and 800 meters as part of a state-of-the-art BEMS system. Thus the energy consumption in the skyscraper is nearly 30% lower than in comparable high-rise buildings. Warsaw UNIT will also be the first skyscraper in Poland to be powered in 100 % by clean energy with its own photovoltaic farms.
Photo: facebook/warsaw unit
