Saint-Gobain and ENGIE Romania announce the start of the construction of the largest on-site photovoltaic park in Romania. Located on the land of the Saint-Gobain glass factory in Călărași, on an area of 14 hectares, the photovoltaic panel system will be intended for the production of renewable energy within the industrial site, the resulting production will be used 100% for self-consumption.
With an installed capacity of 8.6 MWp, the park will consist of 15,760 photovoltaic panel modules, 80 inverters and strings, and a metal tracker structure to support the panels and inverters.
The photovoltaic panels mounted on the ground will provide an important part of the electricity needs of the glass factory in Călărași, being avoided over 2,400 tons of CO2 per year, the equivalent of over 9 million kilometers traveled on average by a gasoline car or the charging of over 265 million smartphone devices.
“We are delighted to meet the decarbonisation needs of our partner Saint-Gobain and thank them for their trust in implementing this key project. Decentralized energy production solutions are increasingly becoming a necessity for businesses that want to remain competitive by reducing energy costs, but also sustainable, limiting CO2 emissions,” said Nicolas Richard, Vice President of ENGIE Romania, Responsible for the Energy Solutions Division.
“The start of the construction works of the photovoltaic park at the Saint-Gobain factory in Călăraşi represents a reference moment in the course of Saint-Gobain Romania towards achieving the objective of “zero CO2 emissions” and we are honored to have a reliable partner in the development of this project scope, such as ENGIE. We prioritize environmentally friendly energy sources, in parallel with the permanent streamlining of production processes to reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption. Our efforts are also geared towards the circular economy by increasing the recycled content of the products and packaging we use, in addition to sustainable solutions for energy efficient buildings – all with the aim of drastically reducing carbon emissions and resource consumption non-renewable and to create a greener future,” said Ovidiu Păscutiu, CEO of Saint-Gobain Romania.”
By developing this photovoltaic park and by supplying green energy, ENGIE Romania will contribute to Saint-Gobain Romania’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions, the annual production of green energy being estimated at over 14,000 MWh/year.
Globally, the Saint-Gobain Group has committed to reducing carbon emissions by 33% by 2030 compared to 2017, with numerous programs and measures already in place to support this goal, such as setting an internal carbon price for both investment and and for research and development projects. This approach was applied to guide all operational decisions in order to generate a low carbon content and to achieve the Group’s goal – “Making the world a better home”.
Leader of energy solutions with low CO2 emissions, ENGIE acts to accelerate the transition to an economy with a neutral impact on the environment. The company provides customers with customized green energy solutions, aiming to eliminate the equivalent of 45Mt CO2 each year and achieve carbon neutrality by 2045.