Solar energy makes the energy transition crystal clear

A solar power plant on the roofs of the production halls of Vetropack, one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of glass packaging, generates solar energy on a grand scale at the Kremsmünster site in Upper Austria. VERBUND, Austria’s leading energy company and one of Europe’s largest generators of electricity from hydropower, is the energy and implementation partner.

Vetropack is committed to sustainability in every aspect of its production and is aiming at switching to 100 per cent renewable energy by 2032. The company, with two sites in Kremsmünster (Upper Austria) and Pöchlarn (Lower Austria), is one of the most important suppliers of glass packaging for the domestic food and beverage industry and sells it in Austria and selected export markets. "The highest standards of sustainability apply to our sites," emphasises Johann Eggerth, Managing Director of Vetropack Austria GmbH.

“The planning of the available photovoltaic areas was adapted to the electricity consumption profile of the Kremsmünster site to ensure that almost 100% of the electricity generated flows directly into production. After the final expansion stage, this will save around 345 tonnes of CO2 per year and have a positive impact on our carbon footprint. In economic terms, we will benefit in the long run from lower electricity costs than the grid can supply and from the solar power we produce on our own roofs for many years after contract expires With VERBUND, we have a reliable, innovative partner by our side on our journey to a more sustainable future."

Photovoltaic systems will be installed on the roofs of the Vetropack plant in Kremsmünster in several phases up until 2026. Even the first phase generates as much solar power as approx. 410 households consume per year. The second phase has just been completed; together with phase one, the PV systems on Vetropack's roofs have a total capacity of 4.18 MWp and generate a total of 4,469 MWh of solar power. All of the electricity generated is used directly in the Kremsmünster plant for more sustainable glass production. VERBUND finances, plans, builds, operates and maintains the consumption-optimised PV systems, including the necessary infrastructure for 20 years, and the systems will continue to supply free solar power for many years after that.

"We are delighted about the long-term partnership with Vetropack. Together with such committed partners in the industry, we are continuing to drive forward the energy transformation and thus massively accelerate the expansion of renewable energy. This benefits the economy, society and the environment in equal measure. Our PV business model ensures optimum self-consumption of solar power on site. This also reduces the load on the electricity grid, because electricity that is consumed directly on site does not have to be transported via the grid, which also increases the economic efficiency of the system," explains Martin Wagner, Managing Director of VERBUND Energy4Business GmbH.

With VERBUND's PV operator model, the environmentally conscious company is taking the next important step towards green production and is already making big cuts to its energy costs and CO2 emissions. Once complete, the PV systems will produce just over eight megawatt hours of solar power, which corresponds to the annual consumption of around 2,000 households.

Leading by example

The first expansion stage of Vetropack's PV system has also been at the centre of the current photovoltaic campaign "Solar energy from our own resources" since April 2024. Johann Eggerth, Managing Director of Vetropack Austria, serves as a testimonial and motivates energy-intensive companies to follow Vetropack's example by also installing their own PV system, because every additional system is an important step towards a green energy future and a positive contribution to the energy transition.