The PCB industry plays an important role in implementing the energy transition. Companies in this sector have a responsibility to reduce their high consumption of fresh water, waste water and energy in production, thereby helping to conserve our resources. Many companies have already recognized this trend. But there is still a lot to do: After all, industry accounts for 31 percent of annual energy consumption in Germany. Innovative solutions are needed, such as efficient heat management, to reduce energy requirements.
Sustainability is more important today than ever - the KSG Group has also recognized this. We wrote about our path towards sustainability on our KSG blog back in 2022. reported. Now, one year later, we take stock and show how far we have come since then. We spoke to Thomas Hojenski, who is responsible for media supply (electricity, gas, water), energy management and facility management at the Gornsdorf site. He reports on the progress we have already made in terms of sustainability and environmental protection.
Mr. Hojenski, let's take a look back: What has happened since last year?
T. Hojenski: Quite a lot. We took a close look at our CO₂ footprint at the Gornsdorf site. This was still 4,204 tons in 2021, while we were able to reduce CO₂ consumption to 4,006 tons in 2022. Although it doesn't look like much at first glance, we can say that this saving is a very good start.
"The aim is to produce 40 % less CO₂ over the next ten years."
We now also purchase a very environmentally friendly electricity mix, which includes a share of renewable energy of over 80 %. In addition to our more sustainable electricity and improving our carbon footprint, we have focused on finding more ways to save energy and switching to alternative heat management in the midst of the ongoing energy crisis. For example, we took proactive measures in the winter of 2022/23 and set up two temporary, mobile heating units on our premises to ensure that we would not be surprised by a potential gas shortage. Even though we have already mastered the first optimizations well, we also had to overcome some challenges.
What were the challenges?
T. HojenskiA major challenge that is still keeping us busy is the installation of the transfer press cooling system, as the assembly is very complex. This includes setting up a complete cooling circuit and installing the heat pump. But the result will be impressive later on, as we will kill two birds with one stone: firstly, the presses can be cooled in a closed cooling circuit, saving more than 100,000 cubic meters of process water per year. Secondly, we will use the heat from the cooling circuit to heat our building with the help of the pump. In this way, we can dispense with the use of gas.
As we have heard, one CO₂ polluter has already been replaced with an environmentally friendly alternative: the thermal incineration plant. It was replaced by the biological exhaust air purification plant. How did this come about?
T. Hojenski: That's right. We decided to replace our natural gas-fired post-combustion plant with a more environmentally friendly system in Gornsdorf after the energy crisis in 2022 gave us a real scare. Our colleagues in Gars, on the other hand, are the pioneers and have long been equipped with a presentable heating management system.
The biological exhaust air purification system is a paradise for microbes - with wood shavings (en masse) as a food source. A complex control system ensures that the little heroes have the ideal living conditions to effectively purify the air. Thanks to the good insulation, we can even do without additional heating in the Saxon winter.
In 2021, KSG's carbon footprint amounted to 4,204 tons. What further measures will be taken in the coming months and years to reduce this considerable amount?
T. Hojenski: There are various measures that are necessary to further reduce the carbon footprint. These include, for example:
- Construction of a closed cooling circuit for transfer press cooling
- Installation of a heat pump to utilize the waste heat from the transfer press cooling system
- Installation of photovoltaic systems and use of solar power
They not only take care of the implementation of the transformation concept, but also monitor the results. What criteria are used to measure the success of the measures taken?
T. HojenskiIt takes time to see the full effect. Using our building management system, we can already see how our electricity and gas are falling by around ten percent each month. These figures show a positive trend, which strengthens us in our transformation concept.
Our customers are showing increasing interest in sustainability and we as a company attach great importance to the fact that our data preparation and processing takes place exclusively here in Europe. We are proud of this strength and the opportunity to offer our customers a decoupled purchasing strategy. Our customers appreciate working with a future-oriented, stable family business in Europe.
Interview: Thomas Hojenski - Head of Operating Technology
Thomas Hojenski has been with the KSG Group since January 1, 2020. He is responsible for media supply (electricity, gas, water), energy management and facility management.
Are there any new plans for sustainability at the KSG Group?
T. HojenskiOf course, you know us - we are determined to continuously improve. Solar power is a key topic that we will be focusing on more closely in the future. 38 % of our CO₂ emissions are currently caused by our electricity consumption. This is where we want to start next and plan to install a pilot PV system on one of our roofs. As the amount of solar power generated will never be enough to cover our entire electricity requirements, we plan to purchase solar power from a PV system at a solar park. On this basis, a considerable amount of CO₂ emissions are to be reduced in the coming years. We will also continue to try to remove our main polluters from the operation of gas boilers.ngen.
Thomas Hojenski, thank you very much for the interview and the insights it has given us. Do you have any questions on the topic? Then please leave a comment! We look forward to your feedback.
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