Bigger than a soccer field: A photovoltaic system with an area of around 7,400 square meters is being built at Schaeffler in Bühl

Construction of the solar system in the Bußmatten commercial area with around 3,700 photovoltaic modules will begin in July 2023

The system with a total output of around 1,500 kilowatts peak increases the security of supply at the Bühler Schaeffler plant

Construction of additional solar systems planned in Sasbach, Kappelrodeck and in the Bühler main plant

Schaeffler in Bühl relies on solar energy. Construction of the first photovoltaic system on the Bühler campus will begin in July. In the coming weeks, a total of around 3,700 photovoltaic modules will be installed on the previously unused roof of a production hall in the Bußmatten industrial park. The total area of the modules is more than 7,400 square meters - larger than a football field with a standard playing field. The system has a peak output of around 1,500 kilowatts. In the future, around 1,400 megawatt hours of electricity can be fed into the Schaeffler plant's power grid for internal use. For comparison: in a single-family house, the average consumption without hot water is around 3,000 kilowatt hours. The performance of the new system in Bühl corresponds to the average power consumption of around 470 single-family homes.1 "Sustainability has a high priority for the Bühler Schaeffler location," says Andreas Maier, head of the campus in Bühl, which also includes the locations in Bußmatten, Sasbach and Kappelrodeck. "With the installation of the photovoltaic system, we are making an important contribution to increasing the security of supply at our site and promoting the energy transition." In the fourth quarter of 2023, electricity from the roof of the production hall should be available for the site for the first time.

Schaeffler is implementing the construction together with the companies NEWI-Solar GmbH, Kühn Elektrotechnik GmbH and the public utility company in Bühl.

A total of four photovoltaic systems are planned

The installation of its own photovoltaic systems is a further step taken by Schaeffler to achieve its sustainability goals: by 2025, ten percent of the electricity required worldwide and by 2030 a total of 25 percent should come from self-generated renewable energy. From the year 2030, production in all plants worldwide should be climate-neutral. The Bühler Schaeffler site has therefore been sourcing 100 percent of its electricity from renewable energies since 2020. In addition, targeted energy efficiency measures are implemented in the plant. In addition to the construction of the photovoltaic system in Bußmatten, other systems are also planned for the future: In March 2024, modules are to be installed on the roof of the plant in Kappelrodeck, followed by the roof of the plant in Sasbach in June 2024. Finally, in 2025, the construction of a fourth solar system in the Bühler main plant is planned.

Promote biological diversity

Schaeffler assumes ecological and social responsibility not only in climate protection, but also in relation to other aspects of sustainability. At the end of June 2023, the company put a so-called insect hotel into operation in Kappelrodeck. It is one of the site's projects that specifically promote biodiversity and provide nesting aids for insects. The construction goes back to an initiative of the "Schaeffler Climate Action Day", which took place on June 22, 2022. At that time, all of the more than 83,000 employees at the Schaeffler Group’s approximately 200 locations worldwide were concerned with the topic of sustainability. They collected ideas on how to reduce CO2 emissions in all areas of the company and how the company can work even more sustainably. On the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the "Climate Action Day", the Bühl site implemented the construction of the insect hotel. In addition, an insect-friendly flower meadow is to be built in Kappelrodeck and three apiaries in the Sasbach plant.