SpanSet secures energy supply for production and offices
What happens when no more gas flows? SpanSet's production in Übach-Palenberg needs a lot of it, especially in the dye works. The offices are also heated with natural gas. To be prepared for possible supply bottlenecks, three tanks for propane gas have now been installed on the company premises. "We have taken precautions so that even in the event of a complete failure of the natural gas supply, we can continue to produce and do not have to freeze in the office," says SpanSet production manager and authorised signatory Harald Gerads. The supply to customers is secured.
At the same time, a large part of the power supply is being converted to photovoltaics. Last year the roof was renovated, now the PV panels are coming. Two photovoltaic systems with a total of 800 kWp went into operation at the beginning of the year and generate about 800,000 kilowatt hours of environmentally friendly electricity per year. The system is to cover 40 per cent of the current electricity demand of the factory and offices. Initial plans to increase the share of self-consumption and thus the degree of self-sufficiency in the near future - possibly with powerful storage systems - have been initiated.
The installation of the new dyeing plant is also scheduled for the beginning of 2023. This, too, is an investment in sustainable energy management. Unlike its predecessor, the new plant uses electricity instead of gas as heating energy. That's where the new photovoltaic systems come in handy.
Fig.1: Photovoltaic system on the company building of SpanSet GmbH & Co. KG