On Thursday (18 May), the Polish energy company, PKN Orlen announced that it will start a roll-out of petrol stations powered by renewable energy sources (RES), following a successful pilot project in Bydgoszcz (north Poland).
The petrol station in Bydgoszcz, which used photovoltaic (PV) panels and installations for the simultaneous heat and cold production, produced 86 per cent of the electricity needed for its operation, Orlen said.
“Orlen has the right potential to test state-of-the-art technological solutions, thanks to which our operations will be even more ecological. We do not limit ourselves to the power industry, petrochemicals or refineries. We also introduce innovations at service stations, which are the hallmark of the Orlen brand. We have recently completed a pilot project on one of them, in which we combined photovoltaics, energy efficiency and cogeneration systems for the production of heat and cold. In this way, our ORLEN station is almost self-sufficient in terms of energy,” said Daniel Obajtek, President of the Management Board of PKN Orlen. “The implementation of this solution in subsequent locations will not only reduce carbon dioxide emissions but will also reduce the operating costs of the company’s service station network.”
The station at which the pilot took place consumes around 201 megawatts per hour (MWh) of power per year. Together with the PV installations, the company installed devices capable of recovering heating produced from electrical appliances such as refrigerators and air conditioners, which can then be used to heat water in bathrooms and car wash points.
The system was developed by engineers from the Polish company, IGLOO, a manufacturer of refrigeration equipment, inverter and cogeneration aggregates and heat pumps. Data from the pilot project will be used in the installation process at subsequent Orlen petrol stations.
