German supplier of photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) modules Sunmaxx PVT and planning company for regenerative energy systems Goodmen energy recently conducted a new, comprehensive feasibility study on decarbonization with solar technologies at a 17,000 square meter production site of the automotive supplier MAHLE. The study shows that the heat and electricity requirements of the MAHLE site can be completely decarbonized by combining PVT and standard PV modules.
By using PVT modules, geothermal probes and a geothermal heat pump, the production site can significantly reduce its carbon footprint and save costs. These modules are able to generate heat and electricity at the same time.
Part of the heat generated by the modules is seasonally stored in the geothermal field, while part of the roof area is already sufficient to cover the site’s entire annual heat demand via PVT modules. Standard PV modules are used to generate electricity in the remaining unused areas of the system. This combination of power generation not only maximizes efficiency but also reduces CO2 emissions2 -Emissions by about 2,700 tons per year.
Thanks to the Sunmaxx PVT modules, the required number of ground probes could be massively reduced. In addition, the geothermal probes serve as seasonal storage, which absorbs the solar heat from the PVT modules in summer and releases it again for heating purposes in winter. This results in a win-win situation in the interaction of the two components geothermal probes and PVT, which makes the concept technically and economically successful.
– says Dr. Markus Proell, project manager and general manager at goodmen energy.
Sunmaxx’s solution has the potential to revolutionize nearly every industry, providing a fully scalable and customizable solution for businesses with significant energy needs. The company works with very energy-intensive industries to decarbonize sites with several hundred GWh of heat and electricity requirements.
“In combination with modern heat pump technology, we can directly cover temperature ranges of up to 150 °C and significantly reduce fuel costs, even for higher temperature levels. And even without geothermal energy, sites can be completely or largely decarbonized with our modules,” adds Dr. Wilhelm Stein, CEO of Sunmaxx PVT.
The project is currently in the execution phase and is expected to go into operation in 2024. A team from Sunmaxx PVT and MAHLE is now working intensively on decarbonizing other MAHLE locations in the same way.