Decarbonizing our sites worldwide

GEA’s first solar park 

GEA’s Climate Transition Plan aims to reduce the company’s greenhouse gas emissions to Net Zero at every link in the value chain by 2040. We are decarbonizing our sites worldwide to achieve this. All operations, processes and production facilities are undergoing far-reaching changes. In particular, we will be pressing ahead with the phase-out of fossil fuels in the coming years. While this will significantly reduce our direct greenhouse gas emissions, it will increase our electricity consumption due to the associated electrification measures.

Why are we building a solar park? 

We are implementing a clearly defined package of measures to make us less dependent on the electricity grid. Even if we assume that countries will meet their obligations under the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement and that many of them are already taking extensive measures to achieve zero emissions, national energy mixes continue to play a central role in achieving the target – something that GEA cannot influence. We have been sourcing 100 percent green electricity worldwide since 2022. However, with a view to becoming self-sufficient in energy, we are investing in our own electricity generation from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. By 2030, the share of self-generated electricity is expected to cover a quarter of GEA’s global electricity requirements. 

Since 2022, we have been continuously expanding the share of on-site generation of electricity from photovoltaic (PV) systems. Yet individual PV systems on rooftops or parking lots, such as those in Oelde, Suzhou or Tianjin, are not sufficient to achieve our goals because of their low capacities compared with the amount of electricity required. That is why GEA is financing the construction of a large, high-performance PV park on its own land in Hachen, Germany, by 2026. With an area of over seven hectares and 18,000 solar collectors, this park could supply more than 2,000 four-person households with electricity. For GEA, this means that we can generate up to 18 percent of our electricity requirements in Germany ourselves with this solar farm. Other projects are planned for 2024, such as the preparation of power purchase agreements for renewable electricity for Germany and Europe.