Milestone for sustainable energy supply: KHS and MaGeno-Solar eG install PV system in Worms

Investment at the Worms plant

KHS GmbH and employee cooperative MaGeno-Solar eG are continuing to drive the increase in renewable energy use: at the KHS production site in Worms, Germany, a new photovoltaic system with a capacity of 379.47 kWp recently went into operation. With its 834 solar modules, in the future it will supply around 342,000 kWh of electricity a year – enough to cover the energy requirement of much of the plant in a manner that’s climate-neutral.

What’s so special about this particular project is that the system is based on the successful employee cooperative model devised by MaGeno-Solar eG – as is already the case at the KHS factories in Dortmund and Bad Kreuznach. The cooperative founded by active and retired KHS personnel fully finances the photovoltaic systems with its own funds. KHS leases the PV panels in the long term and uses the electricity generated by these directly in production.

This stabilises energy costs and allows the cooperative to refinance its investments through leasing payments and distribute profits to its members. “With Worms, we’re consistently further promoting this tried-and-tested model,” says Bernd Molitor, chairman of MaGeno-Solar eG. “Our members show that the energy revolution and personnel commitment go hand in hand at KHS. We’re assuming responsibility – for our company, for the climate and for future generations.”

Sustainability a strategic target

With its new PV system, KHS Worms will save about 236 metric tons of CO2 per annum. In doing so, the site is making a major contribution to the Group-wide climate strategy: by 2028 the KHS Group wants to cut its greenhouse gas emissions at all of its production plants by approximately 36 %. Together with its parent company Salzgitter AG, the turnkey supplier is aiming for climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest.

Its close cooperation with MaGeno-Solar eG illustrates that sustainability at KHS isn’t merely a corporate goal but active practice. In this context, MaGeno-Solar eG’s commitment recently won it the GenoAward from Genoverband (literally: “co-op award” from Germany’s association of cooperatives). The jury particularly praised the cooperative’s communal approach and its function as a role model for corporate energy revolution projects.

Worms – competence center with responsibility

Within KHS, the factory in Worms is heralded as its competence center for palletising technology and employs about 250 people. “The photovoltaic system is a further move towards making our production setup more sustainable and more independent,” says plant manager Dr. Mohamed Astitouh. “We’re demonstrating that economic success and climate protection belong together.” Similar projects are to be successfully introduced at all other national and international KHS production sites.