BKV has installed a 50 kWh solar panel system in the Városmajor cogwheel railway depot. The investment will annually save almost 3 million forints for the transport company, of which this is the sixth solar panel system.

106 solar panels, each with a power of 480W, were installed on the shadow-free roof structure of the cogwheel railway depot, covering an area of 221.5 sqms. The system is expected to generate a total of 50,792 kWh of electricity per year, which will be used within the premises. Due to efficient planning and construction, the project was completed almost half a year earlier than the September target date. Thus, the new system can start generating energy in the depot in the summer of 2025 and contribute to BKV's savings. The cost saved with the new solar panels exceeds 2.7 million forints. The return on investment period is just over three years.

Solar panels at BKV sites

The investment on Szilágyi Erzsébet fasor is BKV’s sixth solar panel system. The solar panel system installed on the roof of the company’s Akácfa Street headquarters was completed by the summer of 2018 as part of the building’s energetic modernization. In October 2020, bus depots built in the Kelenföld Division were handed over, with a total of 200 kW of solar panel systems installed on their roof structures. The 648 310 W solar panels generate approximately 220,000 kWh of electricity per annum, covering almost 9 percent of the site’s energy needs.
In May 2023, the company installed a 43 kW solar panel system in the Hungária tram depot, a 100 kW solar panel system in the Cinkota bus garage, and a 59 kW solar panel system in the Zugló tram depot in 2024. The modern systems significantly reduce the company's carbon dioxide emissions to a level equivalent to the carbon dioxide absorption of thousands of planted trees. In addition, the investments will result in cost savings of approximately HUF 25 million per year for BKV. The company plans to install solar panel systems to additional locations in the near future.

Energy Conscious Company

BKV has long been committed to green investments and increasing sustainability. As part of this effort, BKV Zrt. joined the Virtual Power Plant Program (VPPP) in 2014, the aim of which is for companies to contribute to the "construction" of a virtual power plant by saving as much energy as possible. BKV received the title of “Energy Conscious Company” (2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023) and the “Energy-Efficient Company” award (2016) in the Energy Efficiency Excellence Competition launched by VPPP. Energy-conscious operation simultaneously reduces the company’s ecological footprint and costs, meaning that in addition to increasing efficiency, its environmental protection factor is also significant.