BOREALIS
Solar power to feed Schwechat site / Partnership with Verbund
The new array in Schwechat follows Linz, also in Austria, as the second solar facility erected jointly by Borealis and Austria’s leading energy firm (Photo: Borealis) |
As energy prices soar and the chemicals and plastics industries seek to lower their carbon footprint, many companies are investing in renewable solutions to power production facilities.
One of the latest to stem a major investment in renewables is olefins and polyolefins producer Borealis (Vienna, Austria; www.borealisgroup.com) in collaboration with leading Austrian energy utility Verbund (www.verbund.com).
As part of a new photovoltaics (PV) park taking shape on a brownfield plot at Borealis’ Schwechat complex in Austria, the partners are erecting a solar array that would supply power to the resin maker’s production facilities, potentially starting at the end of this year.
The array, covering a surface area of around 75,000 m² will have 10,220 individual PV modules, each with a nominal power (peak power) of 460 watt-peak (Wp). Combined, the park’s total installed power is projected to reach around 4.7 megawatt-peak (MWp), with an annual energy yield of around 5.6 gigawatt hours (GWh).
With completion of the installation, the plastics giant, which has the capacity to produce almost 1 mn t/y (980,000 t/y) of polyolefins at Schwechat, expects to move closer to its goal of drawing 100% of the energy used in own operations from renewable sources by 2030. Borealis CEO Thomas Gangl said the renewable energy generated at the site will reduce annual CO2 emissions by nearly 1,200 t.
Related: Borealis' mechanical recycling plant in Austria to open in 2025
The Schwechat PV park will be the second Austrian solar project the chemicals and plastics producer has planned and implemented together with Verbund, following an earlier installation at Borealis’ Linz, Austria site. In a broader partnership, the two firms intend to continue their collaboration to promote the use of renewable energy across Austria.
One of the latest to stem a major investment in renewables is olefins and polyolefins producer Borealis (Vienna, Austria; www.borealisgroup.com) in collaboration with leading Austrian energy utility Verbund (www.verbund.com).
As part of a new photovoltaics (PV) park taking shape on a brownfield plot at Borealis’ Schwechat complex in Austria, the partners are erecting a solar array that would supply power to the resin maker’s production facilities, potentially starting at the end of this year.
The array, covering a surface area of around 75,000 m² will have 10,220 individual PV modules, each with a nominal power (peak power) of 460 watt-peak (Wp). Combined, the park’s total installed power is projected to reach around 4.7 megawatt-peak (MWp), with an annual energy yield of around 5.6 gigawatt hours (GWh).
With completion of the installation, the plastics giant, which has the capacity to produce almost 1 mn t/y (980,000 t/y) of polyolefins at Schwechat, expects to move closer to its goal of drawing 100% of the energy used in own operations from renewable sources by 2030. Borealis CEO Thomas Gangl said the renewable energy generated at the site will reduce annual CO2 emissions by nearly 1,200 t.
Related: Borealis' mechanical recycling plant in Austria to open in 2025
The Schwechat PV park will be the second Austrian solar project the chemicals and plastics producer has planned and implemented together with Verbund, following an earlier installation at Borealis’ Linz, Austria site. In a broader partnership, the two firms intend to continue their collaboration to promote the use of renewable energy across Austria.
Solar energy for PTT Global Chemical in Thailand
Halfway around the world, TotalEnergies Eneos (https://solar.totalenergies.asia), a joint venture of France’s TotalEnergies (Paris; www.totalenergies.com) and Japan’s Eneos (Tokyo; www.eneos.co.jp), is developing a solar rooftop project for PTT Global Chemical (GC, Bangkok; www.pttgcgroup.com). This would add a 5.7 MWp solar photovoltaic system to the company’s facilities in Thailand.
The 10,000 solar panels to be installed would generate around 8,600 MWh of renewable energy annually, while achieving what the JV said would be “significant cost savings” for GC and reduce the chemical company’s carbon footprint by about 4,000 t of CO2 emissions annually.
Under the agreement, TotalEnergies Eneos will install and operate the PV solar system and GC will pay it for the electricity generated for 20 years, without investing in the infrastructure itself.
The 10,000 solar panels to be installed would generate around 8,600 MWh of renewable energy annually, while achieving what the JV said would be “significant cost savings” for GC and reduce the chemical company’s carbon footprint by about 4,000 t of CO2 emissions annually.
Under the agreement, TotalEnergies Eneos will install and operate the PV solar system and GC will pay it for the electricity generated for 20 years, without investing in the infrastructure itself.
28.11.2022 Plasteurope.com [251620-0]
Published on 28.11.2022