INDIGO Group builds a brand new parking lot at Blue Gate Antwerp that aims to be carbon neutral by 2050

On that site, we also worked(ed) on BlueApp, BlueChem and the Terminal SME building, among others, new construction projects that provide new employment each time. In order to efficiently store the means of transportation of these many employees - car, motorcycle, bicycle - a parking building was needed.

By building 12 half-stories high - with a maximum height of 17 meters - the ground area is limited to 4,500 m2 (32 x 140 meters) while providing a total of 27,000 m2 of usable space. That accounts for 1,049 parking spaces.

A Mobihub with Donkeybikes and share bikes will be provided, but regular bikes can also use the 214 spaces provided and the lockers where bicycle batteries can be safely charged.

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20 percent electrified as of commissioning

In a first phase, it is envisaged that 400 of the 1,049 parking spaces can be provided with electric charging infrastructure, and 100 will be effectively electrified on day one. A 2.5 MVA transformer and a 540 kWp PV system will be provided for this purpose.

If demand were to rise sharply in the future and it made economic sense, doubling the transformer capacity would even allow every parking space to be equipped with a charging station, which would be unprecedented in Belgium. The architectural design provides all the necessary space to make this possible.

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East-west arrangement

The PV panels are in an east-west arrangement. This has a double advantage. On the one hand, it allows the roof area to be provided with maximum power. In a south-facing arrangement, space must be left between the solar panels to avoid casting shadows on the panels behind. With an east-west arrangement, the panels can connect to each other. On the other hand, this arrangement also spreads power generation more throughout the day. Commuters who ride a commuter bike to their workplace in the city will have their car parked early in the morning.

parking lot and come pick it up in the evening. The east-west arrangement allows more use to be made of the energy from the morning and evening sun, and there is more even generation throughout the day than the southern arrangement which mainly provides a high afternoon peak. The advantage of this arrangement is that although the yield of each individual panel is somewhat lower, that of the total roof is a lot higher, and thus a larger proportion of the energy demand will be met from renewable energy.

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Reusing rainwater

It is becoming increasingly common for (car) parking lots to be covered with solar installations. The PV panels are then often mounted on a metal support structure. In this project, however, a step further is taken. A roof is effectively placed on top of the parking lot, and the PV panels are attached to it. This has the advantage that the collected rainwater can be recovered to operate the cleaning machines.

Want to know more about smart ways to provide electric charging infrastructure? Then contact our expert Hannes Stubbe: hannes.stubbe@ingenium.be - 050 40 45 30.

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