Emden, 2010-03-17
Volkswagen Emden plant on its way to becoming a "blue factory"
The most powerful wind turbine in the world goes live
The most powerful wind turbine in the world, powered by the Emden public utilities, was inaugurated today in the grounds of the Volkswagen Emden plant. The Lord Mayor of Emden, Alwin Brinkmann, and Hubert Waltl, Board Member of Production and Logistics of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, were both on hand with Emden plant manager Jens Herrmann to bring the E-126 wind turbine to life; the new turbine is set to produce around 20 million kilowatt hours of energy each year.
"Environmentally sustainable growth is a key part of our 2018 strategy. Continuously improving the environmental sensitivity of our production processes and products plays a significant part here. This pioneering wind turbine is another step on our way to becoming a CO2-neutral 'blue factory' here in Emden", explained Waltl in his speech.
"The successful partnership that exists between the city of Emden, the Emden public utilities, ENERCON and Volkswagen is reinforced with today's inauguration of the new wind turbine", emphasised Emden plant manager Jens Herrmann.
The E-126 is the most powerful wind turbine of its kind in the world. With a nominal capacity of 6000 kilowatt hours and an annual yield of 20 million kilowatt hours, the turbine covers the energy requirements of around 5000 private households. Its inauguration brings the number of wind turbines operated at the Emden site to eleven. There are also plans to further increase the contribution made by wind energy in the future: This will involve installing new turbines as well as replacing the existing ones with more powerful versions.
In addition to wind turbines, the Volkswagen plant in Emden also uses solar power and biomass conversion for energy recovery. The "Volkswagen staff association for regenerative energy in Emden" was established in 2008 to operate the photovoltaic systems at the plant. In December last year, an energy forest covering an area of 400,000 m2 was created in the grounds of the Volkswagen plant; the forest is set to produce some 200,000 litres of fuel for heat generation each year. In 2009, the Emden plant had already managed to cover around a third of its total energy requirements using regenerative energy recovery methods.
The extension of the Emden wind park with the commissioning of the E-126 wind turbine is evidence of the consistent application of Volkswagen's "Think Blue." initiative. "Think Blue." is both a company mindset and a personal commitment to sustainable mobility. Production processes that conserve resources and the environment and energy-efficient vehicles are at the heart of the Volkswagen strategy. The Emden plant, which manufactures vehicles such as the Passat "BlueMotion", implements this strategy with its intensive use of regenerative energy recovery.
"Environmentally sustainable growth is a key part of our 2018 strategy. Continuously improving the environmental sensitivity of our production processes and products plays a significant part here. This pioneering wind turbine is another step on our way to becoming a CO2-neutral 'blue factory' here in Emden", explained Waltl in his speech.
"The successful partnership that exists between the city of Emden, the Emden public utilities, ENERCON and Volkswagen is reinforced with today's inauguration of the new wind turbine", emphasised Emden plant manager Jens Herrmann.
The E-126 is the most powerful wind turbine of its kind in the world. With a nominal capacity of 6000 kilowatt hours and an annual yield of 20 million kilowatt hours, the turbine covers the energy requirements of around 5000 private households. Its inauguration brings the number of wind turbines operated at the Emden site to eleven. There are also plans to further increase the contribution made by wind energy in the future: This will involve installing new turbines as well as replacing the existing ones with more powerful versions.
In addition to wind turbines, the Volkswagen plant in Emden also uses solar power and biomass conversion for energy recovery. The "Volkswagen staff association for regenerative energy in Emden" was established in 2008 to operate the photovoltaic systems at the plant. In December last year, an energy forest covering an area of 400,000 m2 was created in the grounds of the Volkswagen plant; the forest is set to produce some 200,000 litres of fuel for heat generation each year. In 2009, the Emden plant had already managed to cover around a third of its total energy requirements using regenerative energy recovery methods.
The extension of the Emden wind park with the commissioning of the E-126 wind turbine is evidence of the consistent application of Volkswagen's "Think Blue." initiative. "Think Blue." is both a company mindset and a personal commitment to sustainable mobility. Production processes that conserve resources and the environment and energy-efficient vehicles are at the heart of the Volkswagen strategy. The Emden plant, which manufactures vehicles such as the Passat "BlueMotion", implements this strategy with its intensive use of regenerative energy recovery.