A new photovoltaic system installed during roof renovation work at the Murrhardt site was switched on at the end of 2007. Covering an area of 1,000 square meters, the system supplies up to eight percent of the energy consumed at the site. The plant, where around 600 associates manufacture power tools and screw and press-fitting systems for Bosch Rexroth, has long been using waste heat from machinery to provide up to 80 percent of its heating requirements during winter. The new photovoltaic system should also provide valuable insight into how solar power can be used at other sites. The key question is how a manufacturing facility with consistent energy requirements can be coupled to a power source that is affected by seasonal changes and weather conditions.
Bosch Thermotechnik was the first to give the green light to renewable energy back in 2005 when it was completely renovating its administration building in Wernau. A 30 kilowatt photovoltaic system was fitted to the building façade. A feature wall in the lobby area devoted to renewable energy also emphasized that renewable energy is here to stay at Bosch. In 2007, some 10.6 gigawatt hours (GWh) of energy were generated from renewable resources. And this figure is set to rise in the future. The building management team will be using hydroelectricity, geothermal heating plants and heat recovery via heat pumps to develop additional landmark projects to promote renewable energy. These developments also demonstrate Bosch’s commitment to long-term value retention at the sites.
Another solar power system is already being planned. When the new semiconductor plant at the Reutlingen headquarters of the Bosch Automotive Electronics division is completed in 2008, it will boast a photovoltaic system on its roof and façade. The photovoltaic systems in Murrhardt and Reutlingen will prevent a total of over 120 tons of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere each year.
