The Swiss company Stahl Gerlafingen and the energy cooperative ADEV have signed a user agreement for the installation of a 2 MW solar plant. Starting in 2024, the plant is expected to supply 2 million kWh of solar energy annually for steel production in Gerlafingen.
Liestal-based ADEV is building said 2 MW plant on the roof of Stahl Gerlafingen’s rolling hall in the canton of Solothurn. The industrial company uses all of its solar power in its own production.
“The advantage of our solution is that the company does not have to make any investments and receives the clean electricity at advantageous conditions,” says project manager Pascal Moser of ADEV.
The plant comprises around 4500 modules mounted on the slightly sloping sheet metal roof. A special lightweight substructure was chosen in order to comply with the maximum load-bearing capacity of the huge roof. Due to its extraordinary size, the regional energy supplier will integrate the plant directly into its control system. Construction is scheduled to be completed in April 2024 and the plant is expected to produce 2 million kWh of solar energy per year.
Sustainability with recycling
Stahl Gerlafingen, with around 540 employees, produces around 700,000 tons of reinforcing and sectional steel annually. Ferrous scrap is used as the raw material. This makes the company the largest recycling plant in Switzerland and contributes to the realization of the circular economy of steel.
Alain Creteur, CEO of Stahl Gerlafingen explains, “Steel is a special material that can be recycled an infinite number of times and is therefore inherently sustainable. However, its production requires a high energy input. The solar plant is a fine example of creating and sharing value with all our stakeholders for the benefit of even more sustainable steel production in Switzerland”
AFV Beltrame Group, based in Italy and owner of the Swiss steel mill, has set a target to reduce its climate emissions by 40 % by 2030 and increase the use of green electricity.