Case: Solar Power for Operating Mineral Water Plant

A modern solar power station started to operate on the roof of the UNIQA LT at the end of October. The natural mineral water plant is located in Druskininkai, Lithuania. UNIQA is part of Volfas Engelman, one of the Olvi Group’s companies.

The area of UNIQA mineral water plant has long been known for its underground natural mineral water deposits and its beautiful nature – there is still no heavy industry within a 70 km radius. This 80,000 euro investment in solar power will help keep the nature untouched and is a big step for Volfas Engelman in becoming more sustainable.

“When we built the plant, we said that we wanted to build more sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions in this beautiful place, in this oasis of forests and tranquillity. The idea of installing solar modules was already there”, says Edvardas Rudzevičius, the company’s Chief Engineer.

Investment for the better future

The power station has a capacity of almost 100 kW. It will generate around 100,000 kWh of electricity per year, which should be enough to cover one third of the plant’s energy costs.

Živilė Vaškytė-Lubienė, a partner at sustainability consulting company Enough, points out that sustainability is currently an indicator of whether a business is modern, moving forward or standing still.

“It’s definitely a sensible approach to take at least small steps now, so that companies don’t have to make drastic changes later on, which will cost more and will be too hasty”, says the expert.

Plans for increasing solar power

When solar power station has been installed, Volfas Engelman focuses on gaining the necessary experience and seeing the real benefits, After this, the company is planning to install another, larger solar power station.

“Sustainability, preservation of natural resources and the search for the best and most modern solutions are very important to our company. The necessity of such solutions is also demonstrated by the current situation, where unpredictable spikes in energy prices are forcing us to look for alternative sources of energy”, says Rudzevičius.