Energy
Mad Max sends his regards
When Bernd Jastremski turns the corner in his Unimog, it can be a pretty breath‑taking sight: anthracite paint finish, sun visor, work lamps, Hauer frontloader with pallet fork, Palfinger crane (27 metre‑tonnes with additional arm), Palfinger cable winch (64 metres) and a steered rear axle.
Thumbs up: With his loader crane, Bernd Jastremski can reach every rooftop construction site.
Unimog with a rarity.
A Unimog U 530 with frontloader and loading crane.
This Unimog U 530, supplied by Unimog general distributor Peter Meineke from Bad Fallingbostel‑Dorfmark, is a rare find. What at first glance looks like a futuristic vehicle from a Mad Max film is in reality an unmistakable work tool for the Energie-Spar-Centrum Altenwahlingen.
Here in the Heidekreis, not far from Walsrode, everyone knows Bernd Jastremski and his Unimog. Assignments in Hamburg, Bremen and Hanover are not uncommon. "We are a company specialised in photovoltaic systems," says the manager. With his four-strong team, he installs an average of one megawatt of photovoltaic (PV) power per year. "And thanks to the Unimog, we're completely self-sufficient."
Flexibility even on narrow streets.
The Unimog U 530, incidentally uprated to a 16 t gross vehicle weight, is towing an 18-t swap body. Solar modules are stored on pallets on it. “The Unimog is so important to us because with it we can work very flexibly, especially in residential areas. If the road conditions don't allow anything else, we unload the swap body with the front loader, drive the pallet to the construction site and then lift the modules onto the roof with the crane,” explains Jastremski. “No comparable vehicle offers a steered rear axle. The turning circle is sensationally small. A big plus for us.”
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Energy efficiency meets Unimog efficiency.
The almost black Unimog is already his third. He greatly appreciates the advantages of this work vehicle: "Also important for us is the transmission with low gearing. And: With the Unimog we can get to any construction site, no matter where." After all, the Energie-Spar-Centrum doesn't only serve single-family houses. More and more often the crew from Altenwahlingen installs systems on disused agricultural land. They also equip industrial halls, not infrequently 13 meters high, with PV. "Today the energy generated by sunlight is mostly used for self-consumption," says energy-saving expert Jastremski. He supplies the matching solar storage systems as well.
And if the Unimog has no modules to fork or lift with a crane, Jastremski simply lends it to a friend who runs a carpentry firm. There it is used as a tractor for heavy squared timber and beams. So not only energy efficiency, but genuine Unimog efficiency.
Project implemented with UGV partner: Peter Meineke GmbH & Co. KG
“The turning circle is extraordinarily small. And that's a major advantage for us.”
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