Festo Launches Rooftop Solar Project at Its North American Hub in Mason, Ohio
September 18, 2024
Festo is launching a clean energy project at its North American Regional Service Center in Mason, OH, near Cincinnati. Roof-mounted solar panels on two of the three buildings will supply 48% of the facility’s electricity requirements – 2.6 million kilowatt hours (kWh) year round – when installation is completed next year.
“Every kilowatt hour of electricity generated by sunlight at the Festo North American Regional Service Center is an additional kilowatt hour added to Duke Energy’s pool of electricity for local consumers and businesses,” said Jose Luis Esparza, Head of Non-Production Material Procurement, Festo North America. “The added energy to the grid from this project will be equivalent to the electricity used by 359 homes in a year.”*
The solar panels will reduce CO2 emissions by 1,841 metric tons annually, equivalent to the carbon sequestration of a 2,000-acre forest.*
Built in 2015 and expanded several times since, the Festo Regional Service Center is the North American distribution hub for the company’s globally manufactured automation products. The facility, which employs 350 people, also assembles custom orders and builds unique products for North American customers. Festo Didactic, the learning arm of the company, builds hands-on systems that community colleges utilize to train the next generation of manufacturing and processing technicians.
The company’s automation technology is so crucial in automotive, food, medicine, and packaged consumer goods plants, the Mason facility was designated as an essential business during the pandemic. The company is one of the top 15 employers in Mason.
Sustainability is firmly anchored in Festo’s corporate strategy. In 2024, the family-owned company joined the World Resources Institute Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Climate Agreement. Also in 2024, the company, globally, offset 100% of its direct carbon emissions from operations and achieved CO2 neutrality for indirect emissions. The company plans to generate 25% of its electricity through solar power by 2030. The Mason project is being funded by a grant from the Festo family.
Headquartered in Esslingen, Germany, Festo is a family-owned $3.9 billion business employing more than 20,000 people in 60 countries. The company celebrates its 100th anniversary next year.
*Equivalencies calculated by the Environmental Protection Agency Greenhouse Gas Equivalency Calculator.
More Information
For more information, visit Festo
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