Mercedes-Benz to Build Wind Farm at Papenburg Test Track

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Mercedes-Benz to Build Wind Farm at Papenburg Test Track - Courtesy of and Copyright M-B

Another advancement – not pr puff – against global warming.

Mercedes-Benz  said today that it plans to build a wind farm at its test track in Papenburg in northern Germany with an output of more than 100 MW to cover ~15% of the annual electricity demand of Mercedes-Benz Group* AG in Germany.

The wind will keep blowing as M-B with a partner plans to build a “double-digit number of wind turbines by the middle of the decade. Mercedes-Benz is also planning a long-term power purchase agreement with a partner, equivalent to a “triple-digit million euros amount.” 

The large-scale installation of photovoltaic systems on the test site is also under examination. The project plans and an ecological impact review will be carried out with the local authorities and stakeholders. The approximately 800-hectare site has been an integral part of the company’s research and development activities since 1998. With this project, Mercedes-Benz is expanding its “green electricity portfolio in the medium term and at the same time actively supporting the expansion of onshore wind energy in Germany.”

“The targeted expansion of renewable energies at our own locations is an integral part of our sustainability strategy. With the realization of the planned wind farm project in Papenburg, we are taking an important step in this direction. We make an active contribution to the energy transition and the expansion of onshore wind power in Germany. By installing photovoltaic systems on the roofs of our plants on a large scale, we are gradually reducing our external energy requirements,” Jörg Burzer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG.

Mercedes-Benz is pursuing the goal of covering more than 70% of the energy demand in production with renewable energies by 2030. The company is focusing on the expansion of solar and wind energy at its own locations and by concluding further corresponding power purchase agreements. The company’s goal is to at least halve CO2 emissions per passenger car over the entire life cycle by the end of this decade compared to 2020. The most important levers for this are the electrification of the vehicle fleet, charging with green electricity, the improvement of battery technology and the comprehensive use of recycled materials and renewable energies in production.

*AutoInformed.com on

About Ken Zino

Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
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