Golden-coloured like the sun

Golden-coloured like the sun was the honey "Veurne Ambacht" with which Albéric Florizoone won first prize in 1930 at the trade show Salon d' Anvers. To this day, the honey from Meli, the company emerging from these beginnings, has the same colour:

Meli is Belgium's largest honey producer with an annual production of about 3.800 tons. Not only does the sun play an important role in honey production but it also contributes to the power supply of the company.

AZUR Solar GmbH both planned and supplied the photovoltaic installation on the roof of the Meli production facility in Belgium. This summer, the installation was officially opened at an inauguration event in the presence of the Flemish environment minister Hilde Crevits and the AZUR Solar CEO, Bernd Sauter.

1.750 modules were supplied by AZUR Solar with a total area of about 2.900 square metres sited on the 8.000 square metre Meli roof. They face south with an inclination of 25º and generate about 340.000 kWH of electricity per year, thus allowing the company to cover 50 to 60 % of its annual electricity consumption.

The yearly CO2 saving from this installation alone is 106 tons per year and the energy is directly used for the production process. Meli's investment of 1.736 m euros is profitable for the company, through the Belgian "certificats d' energieverte" . Electricity is produced year-round, Meli opted for the crystalline modules supplied by AZUR Solar due to the efficiency and longevity the products offer.

AZUR Solar supply modules guaranteeing a performance minimum of 80 % of the initial power output for 25 years. The electric power generated from sunlight in the form of direct current using the modules is transmitted from the roof to inverters through cables. These convert it into alternating current. As with Meli, the power produced can be used for Meli's own consumption or for fed-in via the electricity network.

Meli and AZUR Solar: Committed to the environment - Recognition by minister Hilde Crevits in the 2007. Meli has a turnover of about 15.5 m euros with 34 employees. With honey as it's product, the company feels committed to protecting the natural environment and and considers installing the PV modules as an integral part of its environmental policy. It is based on respecting natural resources, such as water, air and sun.

Hilde Crevits, environment minister of Flanders, had the opportunity to view the area of her ministry during a helicopter flight at the inauguration of the installation. The Minister's other areas of responsibility include infrastructure, energy, environment and nature.

Thanks to this installation, Bernd Sauter of AZUR Solar is very pleased to be able to affirm the commitment of his company to the Belgium market. It is one of the five largest installations in the Belgium commented Dirk Feryn of AZUR Solar Belgium.

The largest Belgian installation with a module surface of 6.000 qm has also been implemented by AZUR Solar: the solar power plant in Zedelgem. All the installation components have also been supplied by AZUR Solar.

Think global, act local - Just follow the sun. Besides Belgium, the company also has subsidiary business in Great Britain, Spain and Italy and on the French market.