Every winter since 1989, the Weissensee has turned orange for a fortnight. Thousands of skating enthusiasts flock to this iconic natural ice in the Austrian Alps to take part in this old Dutch tradition. Boels Rental has been a proud partner of the Alternative Eleven Cities Tour for many years, providing equipment for the event. In recent years there has been an increasing focus on sustainability and going green, an ambition shared by both Boels Rental and the Weissensee organisation. This year, both parties have further strengthened their ties in this area.
Climate change is playing an increasing role in the Alps, including at the Weissensee, where the thickness of the ice is under threat. This year, rain and melting ice even led to the cancellation of the Alternative Eleven Cities Tour. This is why the organisation, together with Boels Rental, is fully committed to sustainability.
Sustainability Breakthrough at the Weissensee
During last year’s edition, the sun was shining every day, which later led to a eureka moment for Project Manager Roland Meurs. In fact, Boels Rental launched the first 20 kVA mobile solar generators on the Dutch market at the beginning of 2024. With this in mind, Meurs immediately thought of the sunny edition at the Weissensee and the joint sustainability project with the organisation. He did not hesitate to call his Dutch colleague, Fleet Manager Harm Munsters: “Wouldn’t this technology be perfect for the project at the Weissensee?” Munster was excited, and shortly thereafter a solar generator was transported from the Netherlands to Austria.
Expansion of Zero Emission Fleet
Through Fleet Manager Harm Munsters, Project Manager Roland Meurs got in touch with Technical Specialist Jos Arts. “We discussed the possibilities together of further electrifying the Weissensee with our Boels zero emission fleet. In addition to the solar generator, we also looked at deploying electric site carriers, an electric wheel loader and an electric telehandler. The latter had already proven its added value earlier on in the project. The focus was mainly on preparing both our technical colleagues and the organisation in Austria for the very first deployment of this generator in the Alpine country,” said Arts.
Skill and Enthusiasm
Arts took the next step by discussing proper use of the generator. He was impressed by the technical skill of both the mechanics in Austria and the technical staff responsible for the Weissensee Marathon. “The team asked all the right questions and were incredibly enthusiastic about this innovative equipment. The common mindset was instantly clear: if something goes wrong, we’ll solve it together. It was very special to experience this kind of teamwork and to take on this challenge together with colleagues and the customer on the other side of Europe,” said Arts.
Arts emphasised that discussions with the Weissensee technical teams underlined the importance of further sustainability efforts for this project. “It’s incredible to be able to contribute to this on behalf of Boels.”
Successful Cooperation and First Experiences
Organiser Hendrik-Jan van den Boogaart is positive about the collaboration with Boels. “Boels understands us completely, which is particularly valuable now considering our sustainability ambitions. Their team in Austria is pro-active, solution-oriented and committed. That feels good because we’ve got the same mentality as the organisation. Also, after all these years, the one-stop-shop principle, extensive product range and flexibility all continue to play an important role.”
In the meantime, plenty of Boels zero emission equipment have had their baptism by fire at the Weissensee. The solar yields were significant, confirms Jos Arts based on real-time data, a finding also endorsed by Roland Meurs after visiting the event.
Scepticism Disappears
“The organisation and the municipality are very happy to see us working together to reduce CO2 emissions by generating our own solar energy. At first, people were still sceptical about using the generator, but this feeling soon gave way to a very positive sentiment. All the systems, including the medical and healthcare tents, even got connected. The buggy also received a lot of praise. By taking these steps, we at Boels, together with the organisation, are demonstrating that a green future for the event at the Weissensee and its surroundings is more than possible.”
The good news about the successful deployment of zero emission generators is spreading fast, Roland says enthusiastically. Boels Austria has now received a request for three or four solar generators to be deployed. “There is a lot of contact back and forth, and interest has also been sparked in the Alps. The future is green, and we at Boels are at the forefront of delivering it to our customers!”
