Schaeffler buys 9.9-MWp solar park to green German operations

German automotive and industrial supplier Schaeffler AG (ETR:SHA) is buying a 9.9-MWp solar park in Bavaria in a deal that brings it a step closer to meeting about 10% of its total energy requirements at home with self-generated solar energy by 2025.

The solar farm Kammerstein is located on an area of 10.7 hectares in southern Germany and its output is enough to cover 2% of Schaeffler's electricity consumption at its sites across the country, the company said on Monday.

The vendor is renewables company BayWa r.e. AG

The financial details of the deal are confidential.

The acquisition coincides with the announcement that Schaeffler will partner with French renewable hydrogen producer Lhyfe SA (EPA:LHYFE) to build an up to 15-MW plant in Bavaria to produce green hydrogen on an industrial scale. The gas will be used by Schaeffler on-site or supplied to municipalities and hydrogen filling stations.

The Herzogenaurach-based group has already taken a bunch of measures in an effort to achieve climate neutrality in its in-house production by 2030 and reach the target of covering 25% of its global energy needs with self-generated renewable power by the end of this decade. As part of these efforts, rooftop photovoltaic (PV) arrays were installed earlier this month on an area of 1,850 sq m at the group's headquarters and the installation is expected to produce 341 MWh of power annually.

In addition to self-generation green power, Schaeffler relies also on long-term supply deals. In September, the automotive supplier inked a 10-year solar power purchase agreement (PPA) with Statkraft that will cover about 11% of its electricity needs in Germany.

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!