ABB announces its first CO2-neutral production site in Germany

May 8, 2019 - After a two-year design and construction phase, as part of its “Mission to Zero”, ABB is presenting its first CO₂-neutral production site in Germany today. As a visible sign of intent, the company is commissioning a solar power plant at its subsidiary Busch-Jaeger in Luedenscheid. The installed ABB technology will generate enough power to cover on sunny days 100 percent of the factories` power requirements.

ABB offers products and services that make a contribution toward greater sustainability in industry. Over half of ABB's worldwide revenues are generated by technologies that combat the causes of climate change. The company’s goal is to increase this contribution from 57 percent in 2018 to 60 percent by 2020.

Measuring 3500 square metres and installed over the car parks on the company premises, the photovoltaic system will deliver around 1100 MWh of climate-neutral solar power a year – approximately the annual requirement of 3360 private households. In combination with a cogeneration plant, which operates with double the energy efficiency of a coal-fired power plant, around 14 percent more energy can be generated than is needed at the site. The surplus power is fed into the public grid, contributing to the region’s power supply with sustainably produced energy. To cover peaks in demand, additional green energy is sourced from MVV Energie AG, which guarantees 100 percent CO₂-neutral production.

MVV and ABB have extended their cooperation and signed a partnership agreement in April with the primary focus on shared solutions for the sustainable improvement of energy efficiency in industry, medium-sized companies and municipalities on the way to establishing a “smart city”. The cooperation between the two companies is not only about the avoidance of CO₂ emissions and the economic marketing of available flexibilities in the energy sector, but also about the design of future cities through innovative technologies, such as storage solutions and charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. A few weeks ago, the transport company Hamburger Hochbahn AG placed an order with ABB for the delivery of 44 charging systems for electric buses at what is currently Germany’s largest charging depot for electric buses.

The technological centerpiece of the entire system in Luedenscheid is the scalable energy management system OPTIMAX from the ABB Ability Energy Management Suite. The digital solution provides for the constant surveillance and optimum control of energy production, consumption and storage and operates largely autonomous. This learning system calculates the optimum energy flow on the basis of predictive data and compensates for deviations in real time.

Aside from the energy management system and the photovoltaic system with inverters, the entire system brings together other ABB technologies that are digitally interconnected. For example, a battery energy storage system (BESS) with an output of 200 kW and a capacity of 275 kWh is responsible for energy storage. In addition, ABB charging points, where staff and visitors can charge their electric vehicles free of charge, provide for an additional improvement in the regional eco-balance. This single-source energy management solution is rounded off by smart switchgear for energy distribution.

The flagship site will save about 630 tons of CO₂ a year and hence make a contribution to help improve the climate and environmental situation at ABB in Luedenscheid.

About ABB

ABB is a provider of solutions for digital industries. With a history of innovation spanning more than 130 years, ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 147,000 employees. 

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