An important industry award in Germany has gone to direct current (DC) power technology firm Schaltbau for what’s described as the world’s first DC factory.
Schaltbau’s NExT Factory in Velden, Germany has been in full operation since September 2023, incorporating advanced DC smart grid components and intelligent energy management, battery and thermal storage, and in a format that “can serve as a blueprint for green production in Europe”.
“When we decided to expand our production capacity in 2019, we faced all the challenges manufacturers are being confronted with today,” said Steffen Munz, CEO at Schaltbau. “But we seized it as an opportunity to break new ground. We decided to use our direct-current technology expertise and product portfolio to create the world’s first direct current factory. We are very honored to win the Energy Efficiency Award and hopeful that other companies feel encouraged to explore the economic and environmental benefits DC grids can bring to their production sites.”
Schaltbau’s NExT Factory is described as a pioneering leap in sustainable manufacturing and energy efficiency. Built with the future of energy transition in mind, the NExT Factory leverages the natural advantage of renewable energy sources like solar power to produce direct current. Unlike traditional factories that convert DC into alternating current (AC) for distribution, the NExT Factory maintains a DC-based infrastructure that efficiently delivers electricity generated from its expansive rooftop photovoltaic (PV) system directly into the plant’s operations. This streamlined approach bypasses the energy losses associated with DC-to-AC conversion, resulting in an energy savings of up to 15%.
In addition, the factory integrates intelligent energy management systems that monitor, optimize, and balance energy use in real-time, further enhancing efficiency. Through this advanced energy management and DC grid approach, the NExT Factory achieves a total reduction in energy consumption and costs of up to 35% annually. This not only reduces the factory’s operational costs but also minimizes its environmental footprint, setting a powerful example for the manufacturing industry’s path toward climate neutrality.
The German Energy Agency’s Energy Efficiency Award “stands for responsibility, innovation and entrepreneurship and has been showcasing concrete successes for the energy transition and climate protection since 2007,” says an announcement. “It recognizes projects for energy and CO2 savings as well as concepts that demonstrate how the path to climate neutrality and the transformation of industry can succeed.”
Schaltbau is a leader specializing in DC power and products and solutions that that enable electrification. Its portfolio includes contactors, connectors, switches, and safety components, and the firm helps partners and customers solve today’s challenges in rail, energy, and e-mobility. Built on nearly a century of experience, Schaltbau is headquartered in Munich, Germany and represented globally, with over 1,000 employees worldwide.
