Solar fence to power Hydro's aluminium extrusion plant in Germany

Hydro Extrusion is building a solar fence at its aluminium extrusion plant in Offenburg, Germany, as part of initiatives the company has launched to support its decarbonisation efforts.

The 426-metre-long solar fence will be the first of its kind in Germany and will generate about 85 MWh of clean electricity annually to power the extrusion plant and reduce its carbon dioxide emissions, Hydro Extrusion has said in a press statement.

The fence is equipped with photovoltaic panels on both sides set up at a 90-degree angle to capture as much sunlight as possible.

Hydro Extrusion is working on the project in cooperation with its subsidiary Hydro Rein and solar developer Next2Sun, the supplier of the solar fence.

Extrusion facilities are energy intensive and the solar fence will meet only a small portion of the plant's energy demand but it shows that Hydro aims to find innovative solutions, said Hubert Ronecke, managing director of the Offenburg site.

In future, Hydro Extrusion sees potential to install solar panels on the fences of its more than 100 plants across the globe.

With aluminium extrusion operations in 40 countries, Hydro Extrusion aims to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 30% by the end of this decade and zero out by 2050. To reach these goals, it has already taken various steps including the construction of own green energy plants and the purchase of renewable energy.

As part of these efforts, Hydro Extrusion founded Hydro Rein in 2021 to focus on the realisation of renewable energy projects for industrial customers.

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