Ninetynine Seconds

Annika Wagner and Stefan Rothschuh, Project Developers for greenfield solar pv in Germany, are explaining the various steps that are needed for a solar park development. From land scouting and liaising with landowners and local municipalities, rendering the environmental studies and obtaining the required building permits, securing the grid connection, performing the technical planning of the project and organising the EPC until construction, the Aquila Clean Energy development team is taking care of the necessary steps needed for a solar pv project.

At Aquila Group, we have a dedicated team responsible for transparent and centralised data management as well as managed digital transformation, which is connecting the IT with our business units. Melanie Schaub, Team Head of Digital Integration & Intelligence at Aquila Capital, is introducing the data management of our clean energy assets. From first asset screening, through transaction phase and up to the long-term management of our assets and funds, Melanie and her team ensure monitoring of progress and performance, enabling to manage assets with a solid data basis.

"The Rock" windfarm in Northern Norway is our largest and most complex construction project to date. Bernhard Gierke, Investment Manager Energy & Infrastructure at Aquila Clean Energy, explains the challenges that our team had to encounter during the construction phase, especially during winter times. The 400 MW windfarm is expected to produce 1,300 GWh of energy which will be used by a local aluminium smelter.

Sustainably managed commercial forests can play a vital role in combatting climate change while serving as a low-risk, long-term asset class for institutional investors. Edward Daniels, Team Head Forestry at Aquila Capital, explains the company’s timber and carbon strategy.

Large-scale battery storage systems are an important component for the realisation of the energy transition, as they can balance the fluctuating production of renewable energies and thus support the switch to clean energy. Kilian Leykam, Investment Manager Battery Storage at Aquila Capital, explains the relevance of energy storage for the expansion of renewable energies and gives a tour of our construction site in Ruien, Belgium, where we are building a large-scale battery storage system.

Our Senior Development Manager Sara Ribeiro is introducing us to Rainha Green Logistics Park in Portugal. The warehouse is located in Azambuja, a known logistics hub around 40km north of Lisbon and designed in compliance with sustainable and energy-efficient building standards aimed at achieving BREEAM certification and net-zero emissions.

Andrea Menechini, Senior Development Manager at Aquila Capital, introduces the first warehouse of our project Tortona Green Logistics Park in Northern Italy. Aquila Capital‘s first logistics project in Italy convinces with the implementation of sustainable and energy efficient measures throughout the whole construction.

In the Tabernas desert, in the South of Spain, we have realised the solar PV plant “La Cabrita”. Ignacio Ríos, Project Construction Manager at Aquila Capital, is introducing the large solar PV park and its characteristics. La Cabrita, which was built minimising the environmental impact, spans over a total area of 120 hectares and has an installed capacity of around 50MW.

Under its sub-brand AQ Acentor, Aquila Capital is developing built-to-rent apartments in Spain. AQ Acentor’s first project, which is located in Madrid’s city district Villaverde, was finished in 2021 and is introduced by Natalia Burgos, Project Manager at AQ Acentor. The public housing project plans to attract especially younger people with its special designs, affordable prices and wide common areas.

María José Esparraga, Construction Manager and Julia García, Project Manager at Aquila Capital, show the current construction development of Illescas Green Logistics Park’s first warehouse, which is estimated to be completed in Q1 2022.  

Illescas Green Logistics Park is our first logistic project in Spain and comprises six plots of land with a total area of 472,879 sqm, to develop logistic projects by implementing sustainable, energy-efficient building practices with photovoltaic panels installed on the entire rooftop and will feature carbon offsetting measures.

Under its subsidiary brand AQ Ampere, Aquila Capital develops solar PV parks in Germany. David Mayer, Nader Mottahedin and Jane Coenen-Blunck explain the team's holistic approach. AQ Ampere manages solar PV projects from land acquisition through development and construction to the ongoing management of the plants.

Johannes Wurr, Asset Manager Energy & Infrastructure at Aquila Capital, explains about the logistical challenges of a wind farm construction in high terrain. Johannes is on one of our construction sites in Norway where he is in charge of overviewing the installation of wind energy turbines. Due to the hilly terrain and the extraordinary size of this wind farm, the logistics related to transportation and installation of main turbine components define a critical phase for the whole project.

Find out why energy efficiency should be considered as “first fuel”. Robert Hundeshagen, Investment Manager at Aquila Capital, explains why energy efficiency investments play a vital role in the energy transition and truly deliver an impact from a return perspective as well as by addressing key UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Aquila Capital invests in sustainable data centres under its subsidiary brand AQ Compute. Carl von Hessen, Head of Data Centre Investments, provides insights into the investment opportunity. He explains the criteria we consider when building our data centres and why Norway is a perfect location for the asset class.

Find out more about how hydro power plants work both technically and economically. Christian Heidfeld, Aquila Capital’s Head of Asset Management Hydropower, explains how our Alforfa hydro power plant utilises a special cascade system. Our local Chief Operations Officer Francisco Machado provides further insights into how the plant looks like from the inside and how he ensures efficient operation at all times.

Melanie Schaub, Asset Manager Wind, explains the key criteria she takes into account when visiting Aquila Capital’s wind farms in the middle of Denmark for an annual inspection. Aquila Capital’s dedicated asset management team closely inspects the turbines and the local conditions of its wind farms on a regular basis in order to ensure a stable and long-term performance of the asset for the investors.

The outbreak of Covid-19 has posed challenges for Real Asset Management, for example due to travel restrictions. Tor Syverud, Head Investment Management Hydropower, gives an insight into Hydropower Asset Management during Covid-19, demonstrating how Aquila Capital is ensuring that hydropower plants continue to operate smoothly during the pandemic.

Several contractors are involved in the technical takeover of a completed wind farm. As asset manager, Aquila Capital coordinates the entire cooperation between all parties involved. Melanie Schaub explains how a punctual and smooth takeover of a wind farm can be ensured.

Joakim Johnsen, Head of Merchant Market Desk at Aquila Capital, explains about the use of PPAs for renewable energy. He is observing a significant growth of PPAs in the European markets largely due to decreasing costs of renewable energy generation, phasing out of feed-in-tariffs as well as growing corporate demand for green energy. 

The main tasks of Aquila Capital’s project management include the controlling of the revenue and liquidity planning of the asset, as well as the monitoring of the construction schedule and construction budget. Kerstin Fick shows you the construction on site.

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important, as well in the real estate sector. In this context the integration of ESG criteria in real estate investments doesn’t only help to maximizes returns, but also helps to achieve positive social and environement benefits.

Wild bees are central to our ecosystem and biodiversity. But they are threatened species and urgently need protection. Earlier this year, Aquila Capital started a project to colonise wild bees on its solar park land, because the habitat of wild platns and protective structures can help the bees thrive. Together with the University of Oldenburg, we are exploring the possibilities of a wild flower planting programme and providing additional nesting opportunities.

The phase-out of fossil fuels is well underway. District heating is an important component in the transformation of our economic system. Private investment capital plays a decisive role here. This is a highly attractive scenario for infrastructure investors. District heating projects not only offer access to several barely correlated sources of income but are generally supported by a stable political regime that ensures a high degree of planning security.

After Germany, Great Britain and France, Italy and Spain are the 4th and 5th largest logistics markets in Europe. Their geographic locations within Europe enable them to supply the larger countries of the continent relatively quickly, assisted further by their strong infrastructure networks.

Aquila Capital is the largest operator of small scale hydropower plants in Europe. Norway produces more than 90 per cent of its electricity from hydropower. Hydropower is an important part of renewable energy and thus contributes significantly to the reduction of CO2.

Asset Management Optimisation refers to the intelligent collection, analysis and use of data and information that arise when operating on renewable energy systems. From this, optimisation measures are developed.

Asset management in real assets also means to closely control and monitor the asset. And then to take action when repairs or changes must be made - as at this wind turbine in Pinnow.

Hydropower is one of the most significant renewable energy sources in the world. Norway is the largest hydropower producer in Europe and meets its own electricity requirements almost entirely with hydropower.