Hydro invests in solar fence at its German aluminium extrusion facility to reduce emissions

The leading industrial company committed to a sustainable future, Hydro is investing in a 426-meter-long solar fence at its extrusion plant in Offenburg, Germany. The fence is the first of its kind in Germany and will reduce the plant's emissions.

By 2030, Hydro intends to reduce its emissions by 30% and become net zero by 2050. All Hydro locations are working on switching to renewable energy sources. Renewable electricity is purchased in some of these projects, while it is produced on-site in others.

The solar fence project is a collaboration between Hydro Extrusions and the renewable energy company Hydro Rein colleagues.

Hubert Ronecker, the Managing Director at the extrusion plant in Offenburg, said, "Every step matters on the path to zero emissions. The energy consumption at an extrusion plant is significant. The solar fence is a small contribution compared to our total energy consumption, but clearly shows that Hydro is finding new solutions where possible."

A fence surrounds Hydro's plants to prevent unauthorized people from entering the area for high-security reasons. These fences are usually hundreds of meters long, so there is potential to implement parallel fences at more than 100 other Hydro plants globally.

In Offenburg, a solar fence will produce 85 MWh of electricity yearly. The solar fence will be the first of its kind in Germany, and it has photovoltaic solar panels on both sides to catch as much light as possible. Open fields and rooftop installations, tilted at the optimal angle towards the sun, are more efficient than 90-degree panels. As with the building facades, the fence is also an unused surface that can be used.

Olivier Girardot, the Head of Hydro Rein, said, "We look forward to contributing with our capabilities within renewable energy solutions at this innovative project in Offenburg. This partnership is a perfect example of how Hydro is joining forces across the company to succeed in lowering industrial emissions at our extrusion plants."

The German company Next2Sun, a customer of Hydro Extrusions, supplied the solar fence. The frames and structure of the solar fence contain Hydro REDUXA low-carbon aluminium, which is extruded inside the factory in Offenburg.

Next year, the facility plans to install a battery energy storage system and photovoltaic solar panels on the rooftop of the factory building to reduce emissions even further.

The construction phase of the solar fence project is scheduled to begin in mid-October, and the project is anticipated to be accomplished by early December.