Electricity is still generated using fossil fuels in most regions of the world. And also in Germany – who would have thought that over half of the electricity generated in Germany still comes from brown coal, black coal and natural gas?
In addition, 13 % is nuclear power – despite Chernobyl and Fukushima and the unresolved disposal of nuclear waste ...
So it's all the more important that we as a company make our contribution to the energy revolution!
Since mid-2009, we have used electricity from renewable sources exclusively.
VAUDE operates several large photovoltaic installations on company roofs. These produce more than half a million kilowatt hours of solar power annually – enough for about 160 households (assuming an average electricity consumption per household of 3,500 kWh per year).
In 2017 the VAUDE solar installations covered an equivalent of 78 % of our electricity needs.
Since mid-2014, we have been using our own solar power at VAUDE ourselves, whenever the sun shines while the machines are running. When the sun produces more electricity than we need, it gets fed into the German power grid, in accordance with the Renewable Energy Law (EEG). When our own solar power is insufficient, we purchase green electricity.
The higher electricity consumption in 2014 was caused by the large reconstruction of buildings going on during that year. We used more electricity in 2018 compared to 2017; this is probably due to higher utilization of the VAUDE Manufaktur production in 2018.
Since 2019, we have been measuring the electricity consumption of buildings individually. This enables us to take even more targeted energy-saving measures.
There are ways to reduce energy consumption in our offices as well. To ensure that the equipment we use is as low-power as possible, we have developed VAUDE guidelines for the purchase of office supplies: office equipment should bear either the Blauen Engel or the EU eco-label (Euro-Flower). Energy Star is considered a minimum requirement.
