Express freight subsidiary of FedEx Corporation, FedEx Express has announced that construction has commenced on the largest solar facility ever commissioned by the company.  The facility being built to satisfy a portion of the energy requirements for FedEx’s new Central and Eastern European gateway at the Cologne/Bonn airport in Germany.

Slated for completion in 2010, the hub itself will be equipped with new ramp, freight and sort facilities, as well as a fully-automated sort system that will cover a floor space of approximately 50,000 square meters.  The company opting to build the new hub in the German city because of the region’s existing freight transport infrastructure and the central location of the airport within Germany and Europe.

Identifying solar energy as a preferred source of renewable energy for the hub, FedEx will source the solar energy by outfitting solar panels to the roof of the new ramp and sort facilities, the panels covering a total area of some 16,000 square meters and forming a 1.4-megawatt solar power system, the facility generating approximately 1.3 gigawatt hours of electricity per year.

Speaking to the company’s desire to use solar power for the new hub, Mitch Jackson, the Director of Environmental Affairs and Sustainability at FedEx, said that “On site renewable energy generation has been extremely efficient and successful for FedEx, and we are continuously looking for new investments.” 

Jackson also noted that “the solar-energy installation at the Cologne hub will nearly double FedEx’s use of on-site solar energy.” The company having first installed a solar based system in 2005 at the company’s regional headquarters in Oakland California.

The President of FedEx for Europe, Middle East, Africa and the Indian subcontinent, Robert Elliott, also spoke of the company’s desire to move ahead with regard to both environmental issues and today’s business climate.  “With the availability of space to expand and more flexible night flight regulations,” said Elliott,  “We have found innovative and practical solutions to meet the needs of our customers worldwide.”

Source: FedEx Express

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