PRESS RELEASE

Tognum supplies environmentally friendly energy for greenhouses

Posted on March 31, 2008

  • More than 100 MDE cogeneration systems in operation in the Netherlands
  • Total sales revenue of €20 million
  • Planned delivery of an another 50 units for €12.5 million
  • Environmentally friendly supply of electricity and heat with nearly 90% overall efficiency

Friedrichshafen / Augsburg, 31 March 2008. The Tognum subsidiary MDE Dezentrale Energiesysteme GmbH recently supplied the one hundredth gas-engine unit to the Dutch manufacturer of power generators, “Powertech Energiesystemen.” The sales revenue from the deliveries since 2005 has a total volume of €20 million. For the year 2008, the delivery of another 50 units with a total volume of €12.5 million is planned, mainly to be used in greenhouses. The units have an electrical output of 800 to 2,000 kilowatts and supply both electricity and heat.
Powertech Energieanlagen has been selling power generators from MDE since 2005. In the Netherlands, many greenhouse operators use MDE cogeneration units because they make full use of the advantages of the power-heat combination: plants need light, heat and carbon dioxide in order to grow. Gas-engine units are mainly used to generate electricity to power the lighting. The heat that is produced can be fully utilized in the greenhouses. In turn, the carbon dioxide released in the combustion process, which is purified with sophisticated gas-cleaning systems, promotes the growth of the plants. The cogeneration units achieve an overall efficiency of nearly 90% of the primary energy applied. The energy generators are based on Series 4000 gas engines developed and produced by the Tognum subsidiary MTU Friedrichshafen.