Achmea building ‘circular’ solar carport in the Netherlands

<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The solar carport in Apeldoorn, central Netherlands, will feature over 5,300 circular solar panels covering an area of two hectares. It will offer space for 925 vehicles underneath a supporting structure made of wood and recycled steel.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dutch financial services provider Achmea is set to build a large-scale circular solar carport on its premises in Apeldoorn, a municipality in central <a href="https://www.pv-magazine.com/region/netherlands/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Netherlands</a>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The company has entered into a collaboration agreement with its strategic partner Equans, architectural and engineering consultancy Sweco and solar panel manufacturer <a href="https://www.pv-magazine.com/2025/06/13/tno-solarge-unveil-lightweight-perovskite-solar-module-prototype/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Solarge</a> for the development of the project.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With an area of two hectares, the circular solar carport is set to be the largest of its kind in the world. It will feature 5,304 circular solar panels supplied by Solarge and will offer space for 925 vehicles, underneath a supporting structure made of wood and recycled steel. A charging plaza will be located beneath the carport, made available to other businesses at night and over the weekends.</span></p>
<p><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-323045 aligncenter" height="338" src="https://www.pv-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/24030-251027-solarge_P7-2-600x338.jpg" tabindex="0" width="600" /></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Construction is scheduled to begin in February 2026, with the solar carport set for completion by July next year. Once operational, any excess energy generated by the solar array will be stored in an energy storage system for local use.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A statement from Achmea says the idea for a circular carport emerged during plans to make existing offices more sustainable. Ronald Hack, Corporate Real Estate Manager at Achmea, explained that the project is a major step towards the company’s aim to reach climate-neutral operations by 2030. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“By working multi-disciplinarily, we can solve local and complex challenges, such as grid congestion or nitrogen problems, and achieve our own sustainability goals,” Hack said, without providing further details. </span></p>