Creating a solar-powered carport for a busy hotel in under a month was no problem for POHL Group, a leading provider of energy, infrastructure and road construction services in northern Germany – thanks to Alfen’s robust and scalable EV charging solutions.

Challenge
With an increasing number of guests using electric vehicles, the SlowDown Bottsand Hotel and Spa in Wendtorf, northern Germany, was looking for a more sustainable charging solution. Its solar-powered carport provides guests with shaded, weather-protected parking and EV charging, helping to reduce the hotel’s energy costs and demonstrating its commitment to sustainability. POHL Group won the tender for this exciting project – the first solar carport it has delivered. Alfen’s charging stations helped them to meet the installation's unique requirements.

Solution
The carport was completed in February 2025, taking just four weeks from foundation laying to final installation. With 70 covered parking spaces available and 17 Alfen Eve Double Pro-line DE charging stations, 34 EVs can charge simultaneously. The project is the latest in a long-standing partnership between POHL and Alfen that began more than four years ago.

“What we particularly appreciate about Alfen’s products is the quality, reliability and ease of installation that they consistently deliver,” said Ulf Matthiessen, Sales Control Manager at POHL Group. “Their charging stations have been key to our work in facilitating the energy transition in northern Germany with well-adapted solutions.”

Technical data
Alfen’s Eve Double Pro-line DE charging stations were ideal to use in the carport. Firstly, the Active Load Balancing feature is essential to manage demand to ensure consistent charging performance, even with the intermittent nature of solar power generation. In addition, the Modbus TCP/IP interface allows for simplified integration with the hotel’s energy management system. This prevents EV charging from overloading the capacity of the hotel’s systems.

The Eve Double Pro-line DE is ideal for busy semi-public environments, such as hotels, thanks to its robust, fibreglass-reinforced casing. It is also equipped with an integrated RFID reader to enable user identification so only registered users can access the charging facilities. Meanwhile, its versatile 7-inch colour screen can display information such as logos and user instructions. The charging stations are fully compliant with the German Calibration Law (Eichrecht), which ensures accuracy and transparency for end users. Finally, thanks to the scalability of Alfen’s Smart Charging Network, up to 100 charge points can be added to the hotel’s carport if needed.

Execution
As the first solar carport project successfullydelivered by POHL Group, the Wendtorf site marks the next step in the company’s commitment to facilitate the energy transition in northern Germany. This solution is expected to become increasingly relevant as the German e-mobility market continues to grow – and since German legislation requires solar panels on all new carports of a certain size.

“We’re proud to support POHL with our portfolio of AC charging solutions,” concluded Ali Bayir, Sales Manager for Germany at Alfen. “Together, we’re laying the foundations for a more sustainable mobility future in Germany.”