Dolce La Hulpe Brussels, located at the heart of the Sonian Forest (one of Europe’s largest beech forests) and just a stone’s throw from Brussels, now boasts its own solar array.
The exclusive hotel and resort, regarded as one of the leading conference hotels in Europe, has installed a latest-generation 250 kWp photovoltaic solar plant as part of a worldwide programme of green initiatives including composting, waste sorting, an eco-friendly purchasing policy (local, organic, natural and recycled/recyclable products), the eco-friendly disposal of fats, oil and grease, the use of LEDs instead of conventional bulbs, movement sensors, separate water cooling and heating systems, and a water purification system.
Dolce has also implemented a centralised system to manage equipment such as the air intake-outlet and heating and cooling systems in line with indoor and outdoor temperatures or a timer.
The new array comprises more than 1,000 high-yield polycrystalline solar panels and will generate more than 210,000 kWh a year at full power. “Combined with an investment plan over several years, the hotel and resort’s current peak-time energy consumption will be cut by 10 to 12%,” reveals Christian Terlinden, Administrator of Dolce La Hulpe SA.
This solar plant represents an investment of €650,000, excluding tax. “The installation of this system, the first of its kind in a hotel complex of this size in Belgium, says Erik Jansen, Area Managing Director at Dolce La Hulpe Brussels & Dolce Chantilly, explaining that the project is part of the strategy of Dolce La Hulpe Brussels to make sustainable investments with a view to reducing its carbon footprint and respecting the environment while continuing to develop its activities.
The solar panels have been installed on flat roofs on the main building, on a number of buildings housing rooms and on the conference centre, and do not impact visually on the complex. A real-time screen will be placed in the lobby, raising awareness among guests that the buildings are producing green energy.
The Dolce La Hulpe Brusselshotel was recently awarded the Gold Green Star label by the International Association of Conference Centers (IACC) and has just launched the Dolce Global Preserve programme, which rewards staff by planting a tree in their honour and making a donation to local organisation. This new project aims to have a positive impact on the environment and to pay tribute to Dolce’s staff, who the company regards as its “trees of life”.
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