Every day, contractors from Rijkswaterstaat work on and along the national roads to enable (water)way users to travel safely to their destination. This daily maintenance is not always visible but is important. Sustainability is playing an increasingly larger role in this maintenance.
During the daily maintenance in North Holland, steps are being taken to be climate-neutral by 2030 and to work circularly. Electric tools, electric vehicles, sustainable diesel, and solar panels are a first move towards this goal.
Challenge by Rijkswaterstaat
We actively challenge market parties to work more sustainably. Within the so-called frontrunner approach, clients and contractors work together to find smart solutions that contribute to reduced CO₂ emissions and more efficient use of materials.
Think of using electric equipment, utilizing renewable energy sources, and developing circular working methods. This way, maintenance is not only carried out safely and reliably but also with an eye on climate goals.
Electric Tools
Contractor De Jong Zuurmond continuously invests in machines and tools that are better for employees and the environment. They have access to twenty electric brush cutters, ten electric blowers, and ten electric hedge trimmers.
Better for people: the machines are very quiet, so no hearing protection is needed, and they are also much lighter than motor-driven machines. In addition, there are also electric sweepers and arrow vehicles that are deployed.
Solar Panels
The electric equipment is charged with energy generated from solar panels. At the contractors location, there are 1,288 solar panels with a gross yield of 477,217 KWh per year. The generated energy is stored in a battery with a capacity of 2,000 KWh, making the location almost entirely self-sufficient and allowing the electric equipment and vehicles to be fully charged.
Fuel
Not all vehicles of the contractor are electric yet. However, in collaboration with GoodFuels, the first private mixing station for sustainable diesel in the Netherlands has been put into operation. This renewable diesel replaces fossil diesel and requires no adjustments to vehicles and maintenance schedules.
