Solar Power on Roofs and Facades – ICA Västerås 1,2MW
Solar Cells for the Food Supply of the Future
On the outskirts of Västerås, a new hub for Sweden’s food supply is taking shape. Here, ICA has built a state-of-the-art automated cold storage facility that not only handles food with millimeter precision, but also generates its own electricity from the sun.
The solar power system consists of 1,033 kW on the roof and an additional 171 kW on a vertical, south-facing facade. The total installed capacity is just over 1.2 MW and is estimated to produce approximately 924 MWh of electricity per year – which corresponds to the household electricity needs of about 300 single-family houses. The electricity is used directly in the cold storage facility, where large amounts of energy are required to keep the food frozen and safe. This means 100% self-consumption – locally produced energy in its most efficient form.
The vertical facade is not just an aesthetic addition to the building. It is strategically designed to capture the low-angle sun even during the winter months. This makes the facility particularly valuable from a year-round perspective.
Thanks to energy-smart solutions such as solar panels, energy storage, and remote monitoring, a resilient, sustainable infrastructure is created, ready for the demands of the future.
The solar power plant was installed and commissioned by us at Alstra Energy – Sweden’s leading company in large-scale solar power. The project demonstrates how architecture, energy, and logistics can work together as a whole, where sustainability is not an add-on – but an integral part of the building’s purpose.
Facts about the solar power plant
Location: Västerås
Client: ICA Fastigheter
System type: Solar panels on the roof and facade
Building: Newly constructed cold storage facility for ICA Sweden
Installed capacity:
Roof: 1,033 kW
Facade: 171 kW
Total: 1,204 kW
Annual electricity production: –
Roof: 802 MWh
Facade: 122 MWh
Total: 924 MWh
Commissioning: 2024
