Kohler and GRASTIM sign agreement for hybrid photovoltaic/trigeneration plant

The project includes a 2 MW trigeneration plant and 860 kW photovoltaic park, as well as the possibility of being powered by hydrogen.

Kohler Engines, a Kohler company that has specialized in engine production since over a century, and Grastim, a JV specializing in high-efficiency technology solutions, have signed an agreement for a new hybrid self-generation plant at the historic Reggio Emilia facility. The two plants together, trigeneration and photovoltaics, will have important environmental and economic impacts: they will ensure a CO2 reduction of up to 1,300 t/year, equal to almost 20 percent (19.5 percent) of the site's energy emissions, and energy cost savings of up to 15 percent.

In parallel Kohler will be deploying Heila Technologies, a Kohler company, Heila IQ system to monitor and optimize plant energy use. Core to the plant is an INNIO Jenbacher natural gas engine, distributed by another Kohler company, Clarke Energy. It is a new state-of-the-art engine that compared with others on the market provides even more flexibility in fuel choice, more efficiency, and cost and CO2 emission savings.

The entire hybrid plant is already set up for the future: photovoltaics could be extended over parking areas and other buildings for up to an additional 2 MW, and the cogeneration module is already hydrogen ready, meaning it is capable of being powered by up to 20 percent hydrogen in the fuel mix. Green hydrogen would also potentially be producible on-site by electrolysis, in case of excess PV production, and then be reused in the trigenerator.

With this transaction, Kohler Engines confirms its strategy of increasingly focusing on environmental sustainability, investing in multiple technological solutions on the road to energy transition. For its part, Grastim further expands and integrates its high-efficiency technology solutions for large industrial players committed to decarbonizing their manufacturing operations.

"At Kohler, we believe everything can constantly be improved, consistent with our belief that underlies the Believing in Better philosophy. After achieving the ISO 50001 certification, our Reggio Emilia facility is further accelerating its decarbonization and energy efficiency path. We are investing in renewable and diversified energy sources: a renewal that concerns not only the development of environmentally advanced technologies for our engines, but also the programs to reduce our operational environmental footprint of our production facilities,” declares Vincenzo Perrone, President of Kohler Engines.

"After so many international experiences, it is a source of pride for Grastim to set foot in the heart of Italy's very own Motor Valley; we do so by proposing a hybrid solution, and above all a versatile one, to make room for subsequent technological evolutions, with a view to decarbonization and energy transition, already in the timeframe of the agreement just signed," states Baldo Pavolini, Investments and Operations Director of Grastim.

"This project demonstrates the potential for hydrogen-ready gas engine CHP to combine with other low carbon power generation technologies and support cost and carbon reduction for manufacturers," claims Alex Marshall, Group Business Development and Marketing Director US at Clarke Energy.

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