The SIMACO history of energy sustainability begins in 2009, when the first photovoltaic system was installed on the roof of the plant, to partially cover daily needs.
These are flexible panels that best adapt to the conformation of the architecture, which has longitudinal lozenges that let in a lot of natural light throughout the production and storage area. This already allows to take advantage of the natural light of the sun as much as possible, avoiding the use of artificial lighting.
The lozenges on the roof (archive foto) The photovoltaic panels
In 2011 it was the turn of the second plant for which the long shelter for cars parking was exploited.
The power achieved is around 110kW, which theoretically guarantee 80% of the necessary need by the production department and offices.
In 2020, production reached the quota of 94.7MWh, with a percentage of direct use for the activities just over 60%. This made it possible to avoid the emission of 41.7 tons of CO2 equivalent (according to the “national energy mix” the conversion factor is equal to 0,44 tons of CO2 emitted for each MWh produced – ENEL 2009 Environmental Report). In 11 years of operation, a total of over 450 tons of CO2 eq have been saved.
2019, on the other hand, was the year of the complete transition to LED technology, both for the internal lighting of the offices and the production area, and for the external lighting of the service area and parking lots. For example, the upgrade made it possible to reduce the power absorbed in offices by over 2kW, reducing daily consumption by 54%.
As of January 2020, SIMACO has decided to extend the concept of sustainability to that part of energy not self-produced through photovoltaics, or used in periods of low production, choosing A2A energia as a partner. The 100% GREEN A2A project allows to encourage the development of renewable sources, purchasing certificates to cover the energy taken throughout the year.
The agreement has already been signed for 2021.
