The installation of photovoltaic panels on the roofs of the SPM plant was recently completed. The total power output of the system is about 500 KW and allows it to cover up to 70-80% of consumption on sunny days.
The rest of the energy needs of the company are purchased on the free market, from suppliers that produce at least 50% from renewable sources.
The company’s goal is to use 100% of energy from renewable sources (self-produced or external) by 2028.
SPM had already been equipped with a photovoltaic system with a capacity of about 100 KW since 2011. Last year’s energy crisis accelerated investments in autonomous production and consumption reduction activities.
“We have adopted a series of internal measures,’ says company president Giovanni Berutti, ‘such as automatically regulating the switching on and off of the systems, reducing the use of compressed air, using a condensing boiler with less power than the previous ones, scrapping energy-hungry systems – the hydraulic presses have been replaced with electric presses – and upgrading the adiabatic system, which allows us to use 80% less energy than a traditional system. All these activities have enabled us to reduce total consumption by 30%”.