Automotive Aftermarket brings new photovoltaic power plant with around 6,000 solar modules into operation at Schaeffler's plant AKO Halle (Saale)

New solar system produces up to 2.1 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year and has an installed capacity of 2,215 kilowatt peak

Installation of the plant is an important step towards climate-neutral production of the Schaeffler Group by 2030

Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket is installing a new photovoltaic power plant at its European assembly and packaging center AKO (Aftermarket Kitting Operations) in Halle, Germany. With approximately 6,000 photovoltaic modules and a total area of more than 11,000 square meters, the system is currently the second largest rooftop photovoltaic system of its kind realized by the Schaeffler Group in Europe – and about the size of one and a half standard soccer fields. The rooftop solar plant generates more than 2.1 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year and has an output of 2,215 kilowatt peak. To put that in perspective, the average annual consumption of a detached single-family house, excluding water heating, is around 3,000 kilowatt-hours. The output of the new plant in Halle is thus equivalent to the average electricity consumption of around 700 single-family houses – and thus around 1,320 metric tons of CO2. The electricity produced on the rooftops is not only used for the site's own energy needs but is also fed into the public grid. In addition, employees in Halle will benefit from 12 newly installed electric charging stations, which will be supplied with self-generated electricity by the photovoltaic system.

Working at full speed towards climate-neutrality

The installation of the photovoltaic system is an important milestone for the climate targets of the Schaeffler Group. The company's own production worldwide will be climate-neutral by 2030, and 75 percent of production emissions are already to be eliminated by 2025. In addition, the plant will contribute to achieving the self-generated renewable energy target of 10 percent by 2025. The emissions of primary products and raw materials generated in the supply chain will be reduced by 25 percent by 2030. Schaeffler is pursuing the goal of achieving climate-neutrality in this area as well by 2040.

"The investment here at the site is an expression of our commitment, as a family-owned company, to fulfilling our ecological responsibility. As an employer, we want to create attractive, future-proof jobs for our employees, but also make a positive contribution to overcoming challenges affecting society as a whole. In the Automotive Aftermarket division, we are also committed to mitigating the effects of climate change. From the site here in Halle (Saale), we supply customers in Europe, but also worldwide. With the rapid planning and construction of this impressive site in such a short time, we are sending an important signal that underpins our ambitions," says Jens Schüler, CEO Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket, on-site in Halle (Saale).

"Thanks to the fast approval process as well as our dedicated Schaeffler team, we managed to complete the project here in Halle in just four months. The potential to save large amounts of CO2 equivalents through projects like this is enormous and I am pleased that we are pioneers here in Halle," says Martin Kilian, Schaeffler Plant Manager AKO Halle.

In his speech during the opening ceremony, the mayor of Halle, Egbert Geier, expressed his enthusiasm and gratitude: "The settlement of the Schaeffler Group is the largest since the existence of the Star Park. It is a real success story. The partnership between the city of Halle (Saale) and the company has been bearing fruits for a long time. This is demonstrated by the number of jobs, currently around 750, which is expected to reach the 1,000 mark in a next step, but also by the investment and current installing of the state-of-the-art photovoltaic power plant. This is an important contribution to climate protection. The city of Halle (Saale) is also consistently pursuing the path to climate-neutrality. Our goal is to be climate-neutral by 2040. My conclusion on today's inauguration: Those who invest, commit, and optimize have come to stay! Schaeffler is committed to the future here in Halle (Saale). We support it and are investing around 25 million euros in the Star Park infrastructure over the next three years."

Next measures already planned

To ensure that the self-generated electricity can be used even more effectively in the future, an energy storage system is already being planned to make the electricity generated usable at night as well.

Strengthening the Halle (Saale) site

In Halle, Schaeffler stores, commissions, and packages products and repair solutions for the automotive aftermarket and distributes them from there throughout Europe. Last year, Schaeffler's Automotive Aftermarket division assumed primary responsibility for the AKO and now operates it as its own Schaeffler plant. As a result, the AKO is also fully included in the Schaeffler Group's sustainability goals.