Energy self-sufficiency: This is how companies really benefit

The topics of the environment, sustainability and climate change are on everyone’s lips. More and more responsible companies are therefore deciding to make a contribution to environmental and climate protection and are increasingly relying on energy self-sufficiency. In this article, we will show you what positive effects this has on the environment and how it simultaneously relieves the financial burden on companies using the example of the Austrian company Schinko.

What is energy self-sufficiency?

First of all, it is important to clarify what energy self-sufficiency is. Energy self-sufficiency means that households or companies are completely self-sufficient when it comes to energy. So they produce enough electricity themselves to operate buildings – even large production facilities – completely independently of the public power grid.

Solar energy is playing an increasingly important role here. This means that photovoltaic systems installed over large areas generate a large part of the electricity requirement or even cover it completely. Companies that use PV systems not only reduce their CO2 emissions with this sustainably produced electricity, but also reduce electricity costs. Energy self-sufficiency is therefore a goal that pays off twice: once for the environment and once for business.

Produce energy self-sufficiently and remain competitive

If a company relies on energy self-sufficiency, there are further advantages: This means that the company is independent of disruptions and bottlenecks in the power grid. In addition, it is no longer subject, or only to a small extent, to the ever-increasing prices on the energy market.

The costs saved as a result can then be invested in new machines, production halls or better wages and salaries. At the same time, energy self-sufficient companies remain more competitive due to reduced energy costs – and therefore expenses.

The path to energy self-sufficiency – using Schinko as an example

An excellent example of Schinko is an energy self-sufficient companyan Austrian case manufacturer. The specialist in housing, machine and device cladding based in Upper Austria is already completely self-sufficient in energy technology in the summer. By 2026, a further expansion of the PV system should ensure that the company is 100 percent self-sufficient and can supply itself with solar energy.

The starting signal for this project was given in 2014, when the company installed the first PV system with an output of 50 kWp on the office wing. An expansion followed in 2016 with additional panels on the roof of the assembly hall. Even back then, the company was already generating around 50 percent of the energy it needed from its own PV systems on sunny days and generating 150 kWp of solar power.

The following year, Schinko enlarged the hot water tank so that a volume of up to 65,000 liters could now be stored as a buffer – ideal for generating hot water using solar energy. Thanks to the factory expansion and the further expansion of the PV system in 2019, Schinko finally became 100% self-sufficient in the summer months. Since then, surpluses have been fed into the power grid or stored in e-storage systems for periods of bad weather.

But that wasn’t enough for the company. A further expansion of the PV system in 2021 laid the foundation for soon-to-be energy self-sufficiency. Since then, around 468 kWp of electricity has been produced in this way – half of the energy requirement can be covered. In five years, all electricity will come from “their own roofs”.

Schinko not only wants to produce 100 percent energy self-sufficient, but also wants to start with the powder coating itself: 30 percent of the energy used in production should be saved in the long term. The company is currently on track towards an environmentally conscious future.

Find out more about the Schinko company here!