Micronas builds combined heat and power unit at Freiburg site for the local generation of electric power, heat and cold

By the installation of a combined heat and power (CHP) unit, Micronas trusts in alternative energy generation, and at the same time, reduces its operational costs. This investment is another clear commitment to the production site Freiburg.

Freiburg, November 14, 2013 – Micronas (SIX Swiss Exchange: MASN), known and recognized in the automotive and industrial business as a global partner for intelligent, sensor-based system solutions, today announces the building of a combined heat and power unit at its Freiburg location. Construction starts in January 2014. In the middle of that year, the unit shall then be brought online. Power, heat and cold can then be generated directly on site.

These activities of Micronas for a partly independent energy supply, together with the already installed, company owned photovoltaic system, are expected to save about 30 percent of the total power consumption at the Freiburg site. 60 percent of the heat requirement could possibly then be covered. In summer, the waste heat can be transformed into cold by absorption chillers for air conditioning of the cleanrooms. Thus, the cold requirement would be reduced by about 40 percent. At the same time, Micronas protects its sensitive production areas against electric current fluctuations or power breakdowns and, therefore as a result, against potential production downtime. In the future, the savings in energy costs attributed to the CHP unit are expected to result in one million Euro per year. “At Micronas, environmental protection and economic efficiency are going hand in hand”, says Matthias Bopp, CEO at Micronas. “With our energy-saving activities we are not only able to reduce our operational costs, but also to significantly contribute to the change in energy policy.” Micronas is investing more than four million Euro into the project and confirms once more its commitment to its production site in Freiburg.

The combined heat and power unit will consist of two redundant generators for redundancy with 1000 kW electrical power each, as well as heat and cold buffers to cover peak loads. The unit is driven by a combustion engine based on natural gas. The aim is to run the unit under high load with 8000 operation hours per year. With an estimated electrical efficiency of more than 42 percent, the CHP unit is one of the most advanced examples currently on the market. Due to the all-seasonal use of the thermal energy – heating in winter and cooling in summer – the unit works highly efficiently. The destined operating grade would then lead to an extraordinary total efficiency of more than 86 percent.

The CHP unit will be installed close to the production buildings, because of their greatest demand for energy. Due to the short supply channels, there are only very few transportation losses. If the CHP unit generates more energy than needed, surpluses can be tapered off and put to use in neighboring buildings.

About Micronas
Micronas (SIX Swiss Exchange: MASN) is known and recognized in the automotive and industrial business as a reliable global partner for intelligent, sensor-based system solutions. Micronas offers a variety of Hall sensors and embedded controllers for smart actuators for automotive and industrial applications, such as drive trains, chassis frames, engine management and convenience functions.

Micronas serves all major automotive electronics customers worldwide, many of them in continuous partnerships seeking joint success. While the holding company is headquartered in Zurich (Switzerland), operational headquarters are based in Freiburg (Germany). Currently, the Micronas Group employs around 900 persons. For more information about Micronas and its products, please visit www.micronas.com.