Sun and wind as energy sources: how Carmans drastically reduces its CO₂ footprint

Discover how Carmans generates 80% of its own energy needs with solar and wind power, saving thousands of tons of CO₂.

The construction sector faces a big challenge: reducing climate impact while still meeting the energy needs of production processes. Carmans takes the lead here by going all-in on its own renewable energy. Thanks to a smart mix of solar panels, wind turbines, and energy sharing, the company is making huge strides toward CO2 neutrality.

The initial situation: sun and wind as the foundation

Even before 2023, Carmans’ production sites and headquarters were already partly powered by their own solar and wind energy. The company had several PV installations and wind turbines, each serving a specific site:

PV I + 2 (900 kW): physico-chemical washing plant and concrete plant.
PV 3 (800 kW) and WT 2 (2.05 MW): directly connected to the headquarters.
PV 4 (200 kW): supplied energy to the Blueblocks production unit.
WT I and WT 3 (both 2.05 MW): additional wind energy production.

This initial situation provided a solid foundation, but the potential to share energy smarter between the different sites was still largely untapped.

Breakthrough in 2023: founding an energy community

At the start of 2023, Carmans set up an energy community with the goal of using as much of their own, locally produced energy as possible for production processes and offices. Thanks to energy sharing, the available power was distributed optimally.

That way, every location benefited from both solar and wind energy, ensuring continuity and a consistently high share of renewable energy.

Goal: major CO2 reduction

The goal was ambitious: to cover at least 70% of energy needs with in-house production and achieve a significant CO2 reduction. The numbers speak for themselves.

2022 (before energy sharing):

Office: 80% renewable energy

Recycling site: 15% renewable energy
Blueblocks: 35% renewable energy
Total: around 25% renewable energy

2023 (with energy community):

Office: 87% renewable energy
Recycling plant: 76% renewable energy
BlueBlocks: 74% renewable energy
Total: 7671% renewable energy
Total generation: 13,961,640 kWh
CO2 reduction: 2,331,594 kg (or 2,331 tons)

The impact was especially big in the production departments: the recycling plant jumped from 15% to 76% renewable, and BlueBlocks went from 35% to 74%.

2024: building further on success

In 2024, Carmans kept increasing its share of self-generated energy:

Office: 81% renewable
Recycling site: 80%
Blueblocks:
Total: 81,380/0
Generation: 11,982,064 kWh
CO2 reduction: 2,001,005 kg (that's 2,001 tons)

Although renewable energy is not always available at the exact moment it is needed, Carmans still succeeds in covering more than 80% of its energy demand through its own production. As a result, the company is largely independent of external suppliers.

With an annual production of around 12,000 MWh, more than enough to power all its own processes, Carmans can truly say that today, production is energy-neutral.

Conclusion

Carmans proves that sustainable building is already a reality today. Thanks to the energy community and the smart use of solar and wind energy, the share of renewable energy rises year after year, with an impressive CO2 saving as a result.