Imtech to boost the solar energy industry in Peru
(Thomson Reuters ONE) -
Gouda - Royal Imtech N.V. (IM-AE, technical services provider in and outside
Europe) is going to give a boost to the solar energy industry in Peru as part of
its commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS). It involves two pilot
projects in a school and a hospital in the village of Sibayo, in the Colca
Canyon in the Andes mountains. The company will be working alongside various
manufacturers of solar energy equipment. Together with them and other
manufacturers, the aim is to provide similar solutions for other villages in the
same valley in due course. A collaboration agreement has also been reached with
San Pablo University in Arequipa, the purpose of which is to develop a prototype
for solar energy heating that can be used in homes located in mountainous areas
across Peru. This is a relatively under-developed region with a high level of
infant mortality and poor healthcare provision. A conference is being organised
in conjunction with the university about the use of sustainable energy in the
specific circumstances of Peru, in order to bring about a broad-based transfer
of knowledge. Students and school pupils will be involved in the project.
Imtech CEO Rene van der Bruggen: 'Many of the world's problems - water, energy
and the environment - can be solved using green technology. Imtech is one of the
strongest technological players in Europe in this area and has extensive and
relevant knowledge at its disposal. Imtech is also proactive when it comes to
CSR, and it is against that background that we seek to give support with our own
employees to boost local communities, organisations and businesses in under
developed countries to use green technology, as part of our Corporate
Citizenship policy. We have been doing this since 2008. If you provide local
people with the right knowledge and technology, they are perfectly capable of
finding the most suitable solutions to their own challenges and problems, as a
result of which levels of prosperity and the well-being of local communities
will improve. Our Spanish employees are specialised in solar energy and will be
giving the local solar energy industry in Peru a boost. This Imtech initiative
is being provided free of charge. Imtech is working with SharePeople, a Dutch
non-governmental organisation. The total investment in this CSR project amounts
to around 0.8 million euro.'
Peru: an ideal climate for solar energy
The potential for solar energy is better in Peru than anywhere else. The
'impact' of the sun as a possible source of heat for solar energy is measured in
W/m2. At 230 W/m2, the figure in Peru is higher than any other location on
earth. By comparison, the average for north-west Europe is 150 W/m2, and that of
the Sahara is 200 W/m2. In the Colca Canyon in particular, the conditions for
solar energy are more or less perfect, thanks to the altitude (more than 4,000
metres) and the presence of the nearby Atacama desert in Chile. Nonetheless,
solar energy is used here relatively little, and because of the use of
inadequately developed technology, it has only a modest yield. This has direct
consequences on levels of prosperity and the quality of life of the tens of
thousands of mostly poor people who live here. Temperatures in the daytime
exceed 40 degrees Celsius, while at night they fall to below minus 20. Medical
facilities are very poorly developed. Because of the severe cold, life
expectancy is short, and more than 300 young children dying in the Colca Canyon
every year. Imtech is keen to change this through its CSR policies. Following a
period of intensive preparations, a team of eight solar energy specialists is
being sent to the region from the Spanish division of Imtech.
The sun as a source of heat
In the Colca Canyon, solar energy will be used for heating and for a hot-water
facility in a health clinic and a school. The first phase will see the
realisation of these facilities in Sibayo, a village high up in the Andes. The
local authorities will be involved in this. The solar energy applications will
be monitored and optimised for a year via telemetry. The intention then, in the
second phase, is that local organisations will provide more public buildings in
other villages in the Colca Canyon with similar technology. In this programme,
Imtech is working with EcoEnergías and Energia Innovador, two small businesses
in Arequipa that specialise in solar energy.
In addition, a collaboration agreement has been reached with the Institute of
Energy and the Environment of San Pablo University in Arequipa. This involves
the development of a prototype for solar energy-based heating in homes, which
can be applied across the high mountainous areas of Peru. Thanks to a special
wall/window construction, heat that is captured in the daytime can be used as a
source of heat in the evenings. A conference is also being organised with the
university on the use of sustainable energy sources, while primarily schools are
taking part in a contest that will help promote knowledge about solar energy and
green technology. Knowledge transfer, in other words, is an integral part of
this project.
Enthusiastic responses
The CSR project has been warmly welcomed in Peru. There has been a great deal of
interest in the national press, while the Dutch and Spanish embassies have
underlined the importance of the project. Those who are directly involved have
also shown much enthusiasm.
Director Marcelo Neira Briceño of Energia Innovador: 'It is important to find
solutions and best practices from abroad in order to solve energy problems in
Peru. Specific knowledge possessed by foreign companies is essential, because
this knowledge is not available in our own country. I hope that the Imtech
technology will work and that vulnerable groups of people high in the mountains
- young children and pregnant women - will benefit from it.'
Director Sandro John Guillén Bravo of EcoEnergías: 'We would like to further
improve and refine, and more broadly apply our technical knowledge in this
collaboration agreement. This region is characterised by difficult social and
climatological conditions. Working in partnership with Imtech, the university
and other involved parties will make it possible to improve the position of the
solar energy industry in our region.'
Director Juan José Milón Guzmán of the Instituto de Energía y Medio Ambiente of
the Catholic University of San Pablo: Imtech is a company with a lot of
experience with sustainable energy. We hope that knowledge transfer in the field
of solar energy will improve our ability to solve problems. That way, we will be
in a position to resolve problems in poor rural communities. I think this is an
outstanding initiative, a perfect combination of social responsibility and
knowledge transfer, aimed at human and sustainable solidarity.'
Imtech and CSR
With its green technology, Imtech provides solutions to essential social issues
relating to energy, the environment, fine particles and water. Imtech technology
also contributes towards improving mobility, better healthcare, education,
security, the work of research laboratories and research centres, the
pharmaceutical industry, the development of clean and safe cars and the food
production market. Thirty per cent of its revenue in 2011 (5.1 billion euro) was
related to 'GreenTech'. Additionally, Imtech is proactive in terms of CSR. Its
policies in this area are aimed at reducing its carbon footprint, cutting waste
flows, chain responsibility with a 'Sustainable Code of Supply' and Corporate
Citizenship, such as the project in Peru. Another example, from 2009/2010, saw
Imtech improving water and wastewater facilities in the Gert Sibande district of
South Africa, for which it also drew up a maintenance plan and set up a digital
monitoring instrument.
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More information
Media: Analysts & Investors:
Pieter Koenders Jeroen Leenaers
Director Corporate Communications Manager Investor Relations
T: +31 655 74 65 85 T: +31 182 54 35 04
E: pieter.koenders(at)imtech.eu E: jeroen.leenaers(at)imtech.eu
www.imtech.eu www.imtech.eu
Imtech profile
Royal Imtech N.V. is a European technical services provider in the fields of
electrical solutions, ICT (information and communication technology) and
mechanical solutions. With 28,600 employees, Imtech achieves annual revenue of
more than 5.1 billion euro. Imtech holds strong positions in the buildings and
industry markets in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria,
Eastern Europe, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the UK, Ireland, Turkey and Spain, the
European markets of ICT and Traffic as well as in the global marine market. In
total Imtech serves 23,000 customers. Imtech offers added value with integrated
and multidisciplinary total solutions that lead to better business processes and
more efficiency for customers and the customers they, in their turn, serve.
Imtech also offers solutions that contribute towards a sustainable society, for
example in the areas of energy, the environment, water and mobility. Imtech
shares are listed on the NYSE Euronext Amsterdam, where Imtech is included in
the Midkap Index. Imtech shares are also included in the Dow Jones STOXX 600
index.
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[HUG#1610557]
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Datum: 10.05.2012 - 11:00 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
News-ID 144898
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