Duracell chooses a sustainable future with a renovated roof for solar panels.

Duracell is a globally leading company in the field of consumer batteries. Every day, more than five million AA and AAA batteries depart from European hubs in Aarschot and Heist-op-den-Berg. Under the banner 'Powering a Greener Future', Duracell takes the lead in environmental initiatives and resolutely opted for a roof renovation combined with solar panels on its logistics center.

Duracell chose Group Suerickx as a partner to renovate its flat industrial roof. The aim was to prepare the roof, covering approximately 40,000 m² spread over different levels, for the installation of over 8,000 solar panels later on.

Custom industrial roof renovation

To develop a technically accurate proposal, Group Suerickx conducted a detailed on-site survey combined with various roof puncture analyses. Based on this, an additional 100mm of Recticel's PIR insulation was installed, mechanically fastened according to the wind load calculations prepared. For the new roof membrane, a white TPO roofing system from Elevate was selected. It is lightweight, requires no open flame during installation, and moreover, its white color reflects heat through reflection. Due to the light color, the glass-glass solar panels will also yield higher output compared to, for example, dark roofing materials.

FM Approved

Furthermore, it was necessary to consider the stringent criteria of the insurance company FM Global. The necessary FM Approvals for the various materials were a primary requirement, but the combination of the different materials also needed approval. Moreover, additional requirements had to be met due to the installation of the solar panels afterwards. So, there are many factors to consider, but with the right approach and open communication between Group Suerickx, Duracell, and the FM engineers, this roof was accepted as FM approved.