August 21, 2020
Energie Fonds Overijssel recently invested in the Sustainable Security Univé project, which makes company roofs free of asbestos and at the same time provides the company with sustainable energy. A nice win-win situation. The investment will be used to further roll out the project in Overijssel.
Sustainable energy makes Dutch company roofs free of asbestos free of charge
Univé will clean up asbestos roofs for its business members free of charge. The cooperative is launching the new energy concept Sustainable Security, with which Univé, in collaboration with various partners, makes industrial roofs free of asbestos and provides solar panels. The renewable energy generated by the roof then supplies it to private members in the area. In the coming period, Univé expects to make 50 farms, business premises, sports complexes and other commercial real estate in a number of regions asbestos-free and to provide the first 2,500 households with sustainable, regionally generated energy.

Financial splits
Many entrepreneurs with an asbestos roof are in financial straits. Their asbestos-containing business premises are virtually unsaleable, which can pose problems for business continuity. In addition, asbestos roofs are difficult to insure and renovation of the roof is often a (too) expensive investment. As one of the largest agricultural insurers in the Netherlands, Univé recognizes the problem that its business members in the agricultural sector also have to deal with. In the run-up to Sustainable Security, the cooperative, in collaboration with one of them, tested the final solution in practice last year. After research confirmed sufficient customer potential in the region, the cooperative remediated the roof of a farm in Groenlo and installed solar panels on the vacant space that would provide Univé members in the region with energy. The pilot is now a great success with fifty connected households.
Letter to Parliament on an asbestos roof fund
In 2019, a ban on asbestos roofs was rejected by the Senate, shortly after the House of Representatives approved the proposal. More than a year later, State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management, Stientje van Veldhoven-van der Meer, sent a letter to the House of Representatives in June with the findings of her exploration of the possibilities for setting up a business asbestos roof fund for companies. In addition to her recommendations for a surety credit for banks, the arrival of a transition fund and risk-bearing capacity by central government and provinces to help finance remediation, executive researcher SIRA Consulting also points to interesting developments from the market. In the accompanying exploration report, the research institute elaborates on Univé's total solution as an example of the innovative market initiatives that are being developed.

Future without asbestos risks
After the summer, Univé will put the initiative on the market. Under the title of Sustainable Security, the cooperative will start in September with the free asbestos removal of the first of fifty industrial roofs in the Netherlands and as a result with the provision of sustainable energy in the surrounding regions. Jan Willem Bolhuis, proposition manager at Univé and responsible for the development of Sustainable Security, thinks the name is appropriate: 'By providing our business members with a sustainable roof free of charge, we give them the certainty of a future without worries about asbestos risks with a unique solution. . And it gives more financial scope to invest in their company. Moreover, we show that excellent solutions can be devised from the market that benefit all parties involved. '
For members, by members
The fact that the extracted solar energy then flows to members in the region is in line with Univé's cooperative idea Voor Leden, Door Leden, Bolhuis explains. 'Univé has traditionally been a regionally engaged cooperative, which is close to its members and has an eye for their interests at the local level. We can provide them with clean, regionally generated energy at a fixed, market-based price and thus contribute to making their living environment more sustainable. That fits perfectly with the cooperative we want to be. '
Find out more about Sustainable security