Vaillant Group starts production of solar collectors in Gelsenkirchen
- First own solar collector production
- Ceremonial opening with NRW Economics Minister Christa Thoben
- Products based on renewable energies on course to growth
Gelsenkirchen/Remscheid, 6 June 2008 – Vaillant Group today began production at its Gelsenkirchen site of solar collectors for using the heat of the sun. The company is thus reinforcing its position in the renewable energies business field, which is posting above-average growth. Vaillant Group in 2007 increased its sales of products for the use of renewable energies by 20 per cent compared with the previous year to about €120 million and aims to growth further in this sector. That is why our step into the production of solar collectors is of especially strategic importance for the company, says Vaillant Group Managing Director Dieter Müller, who today together with the Minister for Economics, Small to Medium-sized Enterprises and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Christa Thoben, opened the solar collector production.
From Gelsenkirchen for all Europe: 250,000 sq. metres of collector surface area a year
Vaillant Group is now for the first time manufacturing its own flat solar collectors for using the heat of the sun to support heating and hot water supply. The flat collectors offered previously were produced by a supplier company. In Gelsenkirchen, about 100,000 collectors a year with a total surface of about 250,000 sq. metres will be manufactured. The investment in the production installations totals about €5 million. The collectors produced in Gelsenkirchen will initially be sold mainly in Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Austria and the Netherlands in various equipment variants under the brands Vaillant and Saunier Duval. From 2009 other Vaillant Group markets in Northern and Eastern Europe are then to be supplied with solar collectors.
The production of energy-saving heat pumps began at the Gelsenkirchen site in August 2006. The geoTHERM plus heat pump produced at the plant was given the mark of 2.1 as the winner of a comparative test in June 2007 by the German consumer watchdog body Stiftung Warentest. Due to the high demand, the heat pump output is being expanded by an additional production line. In addition, Vaillant Group also produces in Gelsenkirchen modern ventilation units with integrated heat recovery and a very high efficiency factor for use in low-energy houses, as well as energy-efficient gas-fired condensing appliances and spare parts.
Heat cleanly and cheaply with solar energy
The new solar collectors stand out for their high energy yield. For instance, with a solar thermal installation property developers and home owners can cover on a yearly average 20 per cent of their heating energy and 60 per cent of the energy used for hot water with the heat of the sun free of charge. Also, heating costs and carbon dioxide emissions are reduced. With our products for the use of renewable energies we already have technologies with which the ambitious and necessary climate protection targets can be achieved, says Vaillant Group Managing Director Ralf-Otto Limbach. That means we are making an important contribution to solving the climate problem. Every solar collector produced by Vaillant Group in Gelsenkirchen generates up to 1,350 kilowatt hours of energy a year and reduces the annual CO2 emissions by about 450 kilograms. In Germany, a typical solar thermal installation for hot water and heating support in a detached house lowers carbon dioxide emissions by more than two metric tons a year. In the sunny countries of Southern Europe the energy yield and thus the potential for saving CO2 emissions is correspondingly greater.
With different equipment variants the new flat collectors can be combined optimally with almost any heating appliances to form hybrid systems. Due to the integration of solar energy the conventional heating appliances are able to work less. And due also to a reduction of the system complexity and the weight of the collectors they can be installed fast and easily for every application. In addition, the collectors low mounting height and their black frame give them an elegant design by which they fit harmoniously into roof surfaces.
Vaillant Group is an internationally operating heating, ventilation and air-conditioning technology concern based in Remscheid, Germany. As one of the world's market and technology leaders, the company develops and produces tailor-made products, systems and services for domestic comfort. The product portfolio ranges from efficient heating appliances based on customary fuels to system solutions for using regenerative energy sources. In financial year 2007 the company, which has been family-owned since its founding in 1874, achieved with almost 12,400 employees sales totalling about €2.4 billion.
Contact
Dr Jens Wichtermann
Head of Corporate Communications
Vaillant Group
D-42850 Remscheid
Phone: +49 2191 18-2754
Fax: +49 2191 18-2895
Mobile: +49 175 2951810
jens.wichtermann@vaillant.de
www.vaillant-group.com
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Vaillant Group starts production of solar |
Vaillant Group starts production of solar |
