Fuel Savings and Fast Payback Drives DEKRA’s 60-Truck Solar Rollout 

DEKRA Denmark rolls out Green Energy solar systems to 60 trucks in its training fleet after seeing clear fuel savings, fast payback and strong alignment with its fuel-reduction and SBTi-aligned sustainability targets.

“It’s fast to install and fast to pay back – almost from the moment it’s live and the sun is out, we begin to see the return on investment.” – Philip Steiner, Sustainability & HSE Manager, Northern & Central Europe, DEKRA 

Watch our interview with Philip Steiner of DEKRA below:

Challenge 

DEKRA is recognised as one of Europe’s leading organisations in commercial vehicle operations, safety and driver training. DEKRA set a 5% annual fuel reduction target for its fleet. While electrification is an important part of its long-term sustainability strategy, grid-capacity constraints in Denmark have slowed the rollout of heavy-electric vehicles.  

The training fleet is used intensively for C and CE licensing and ADR compliance. The nature of this work – frequent starting and stopping, extended idling and high electrical loads – creates fuel consumption notably higher than typical long-haul operations. 

DEKRA needed a solution that could: 

• Deliver immediate and measurable fuel reductions 
• Integrate easily into demanding training operations 
• Require no new infrastructure 
• Complement its longer-term electrification pathway 
• Scale quickly and cost-effectively 

Solution 

DEKRA partnered with Green Energy to test 240 Wp CIGS solar systems on a five-vehicle pilot. The objective was to understand: 

• The potential for fuel reductions under daily training conditions 
• The ease of installation and maintenance 
• Compatibility with existing training routines 
• The system’s robustness across seasons and cleaning processes 

The solar panels were mounted flush on the vehicle roofs, connected directly to the electrical system, and required no changes to instructor behaviour or training procedures. 

Following strong results from the pilot, DEKRA has expanded the use of the solar systems across 60 training trucks, making it one of Green Energy’s largest fleet-wide solar implementations in Denmark so far. 

“It matched how we drive, it matched our fuel reduction target, and it was not too expensive.” – Philip Steiner, Sustainability & HSE Manager, Northern & Central Europe, DEKRA 

Results 

Solar helps DEKRA meet both financial and environmental objectives without infrastructure investment. The pilot demonstrated around five per cent lower fuel consumption, closely matching DEKRA’s internal fuel reduction target. The simplicity of the payback strengthened the business case. 

• Around 5% fuel savings, directly supporting DEKRA’s annual 5% fuel-reduction target. 
• Low entry price and fast return on investment, with an estimated 1–2 year payback. 
• No change or disruption to training, operations or vehicle performance. 
• Easy installation and strong fleet compatibility, including varied truck configurations. 
• Low maintenance and all-weather durability, simple to clean and compatible with high-pressure washing. 
• Fits with DEKRA’s SBTi-aligned sustainability goals, providing the most cost-effective path to drive immediate impact at scale. 
• Complementary to electrification, supporting fuel reduction today and compatible with electric and alternative-fuel vehicles.

Future expansion 

DEKRA is exploring the use of solar across other vehicle types, including buses and electric trucks. 

“It enables us to spend our budget where we can make the most impact, rather than spending a large part of it on a very small number of electric trucks.” – Philip Steiner, Sustainability & HSE Manager, North & Central Europe, DEKRA 

Fact box:

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Read the german version here: greenenergy.pro/dekra

Read more about Dekra here: dekra.dk