LIXIL Inaugurates Solar Park At Albergaria Production Site In Portugal

• LIXIL GOES ZERO – all plants in LIXIL International’s fittings production portfolio are CO2¹-neutral since 2020
• 1,500 kilowatt-peak photovoltaic solar park to produce approx. 8% of energy needed on site
• Solar park reduces the plant’s CO2 emissions by more than 740 tons per year

LIXIL Corporation, maker of pioneering water and housing products, announced today the opening of a solar park at its Albergaria production site in Portugal in line with the company’s global environmental strategy to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050.

Consisting of 2,270 photovoltaic modules, the solar park has a total capacity of 1,500 kilowatts peak (kWp), providing eight percent of the production site’s energy requirements. It will also reduce the production plant’s CO2 emissions by more than 740 tons per year.

Image : Jens Harder, Joao Bras, Duarte Cordeiro (Minister), António Loureiro (Mayor)

Duarte Cordeiro, Portugal’s Minister of Environment and Climate Action, and António Loureiro, mayor of the Albergaria-a-Velha Municipality, attended the inauguration of the solar park. 

“I know that we will be able to accelerate Portugal’s transition to a carbon neutral economy, while also promoting the competitiveness of our industry and our companies, through decarbonization, lower energy consumption and the promotion of endogenous energy sources. Portugal set the goal of increasing renewables’ share in electricity production to 80%, a target that was previously set for 2030 but that might be brought forward. This is the reason why our alignment with LIXIL is important. The inauguration of this solar park today is the perfect engagement we want for Portugal,” said Duarte Cordeiro, Minister of the Environment and Climate Action.

António Loureiro, mayor of Albergaria-a-Velha adds: “LIXIL with its GROHE brand, has been based in our municipality for over 25 years and is a fundamental pillar of the economic development of our community. Over the last decade, I had the pleasure of following the investments made by the company, and this is already the fourth major investment here at the Albergaria plant, which proofs a great dynamic, a demanding culture, and a spirit of innovation. Likewise, it demonstrates that Albergaria is an attractive place due to its geographic location, tax policy, qualified labour, and quality of life.” 

Jens Harder, Leader, Manufacturing Fittings, LIXIL International, said, "LIXIL is innovating and scaling solutions to positively impact the planet. Using renewable energy sources is a key element to further reduce our carbon footprint. Since April 2020, plants in LIXIL International’s fittings production portfolio have achieved CO2-neutral operations, compensating for yet unavoidable CO2 emissions."

João Brás, Leader, Plant Albergaria, Fittings, LIXIL International, said, "I am pleased that we will cover eight percent of our annual energy requirements ourselves, reducing our overall CO2 emissions by more than 740 tons per year. After all, we are talking about the production of more than two million kitchen faucets, 1.6 million thermostatic cartridges and 1.4 million thermostats per year. This brings us step by step closer to our goal of making our production as sustainable as possible."

The solar park consists of two sections: one with ground-mounted modules and the other with solar shaders (carports). In addition to generating energy, the solar shaders will help to protect more than 270 parking spaces from sun and rain. Connections will also be installed for charging stations for electric vehicles.

This is one of a number of measures LIXIL is taking to sustainably manufacture its products, including its GROHE brand thermostats, kitchen faucets, GROHE Blue and Red water systems and PVD Coloring(2) produced at the Albergaria site. Further initiatives include, for example, the reduction of water consumption in its manufacturing process.

The photovoltaic system follows recent investments in green energy across all plants in LIXIL International’s fittings portfolio. Solar parks have been put into service in Klaeng, Thailand, and are currently being installed in Lahr and Hemer in Germany. In Albergaria alone last year, around five million euros were invested in production lines and machines for capacity expansion to meet the increasing demand.

Learn more about the plant in Albergaria, Portugal, on our digital experience platform GROHE X.

(1) includes CO2-compensation projects, more on green.grohe.com 
(2) PVD stands for Physical Vapour Deposition. 

Source : LIXIL

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