Solar panels and storage to cut electricity use at Czech Moser glassworks by up to 70 percent

Moser glassworks in Karlovy Vary has invested in more than 1000 rooftop photovoltaic panels, supplemented by two battery storage systems. The solar power plant is expected to cover 60 to 70 percent of its electricity consumption. The world-renowned company will gain much greater self-sufficiency and independence from market fluctuations in energy prices, Moser glassworks CEO Pavel Mencl told the Czech News Agency today. The solar system and batteries were supplied to the glassworks by ČEZ ESCO, which used batteries originally intended for the automotive industry in the storage system, ČEZ said in a press release. The glassworks has now begun using the panels and storage systems.

„We approached the investment from the perspective of self-sufficiency, because we saw those incredible price swings in recent years. The other consideration was responsibility for the environment: on the one hand, we burn a large amount of gas, so we also wanted to be more responsible toward nature. These 1000 solar panels should cover up to 70 percent of our electricity consumption,“ Mencl said.

The glassworks invested around 20 million crowns in the panels and batteries. When it began preparing the project a year ago, it estimated the payback period at around six years based on prices at the time. But prices have since fallen, and the current payback estimate is around 12 or 13 years.

The batteries installed at Moser glassworks are part of a Czech program for assembling storage systems that uses batteries from the automotive sector. The so-called second-life program provides an alternative use for batteries that, for various reasons, could not be used in electric vehicles, as is the case at Moser. The program also extends the service life of batteries retired from electric cars. These batteries no longer meet the requirements for use in electric cars, but can reliably serve for years in stationary battery systems. The initiative is a joint project by ČEZ companies and Škoda Auto.

„Tailor-made zero-emission solutions are also becoming increasingly sophisticated and more mindful of the broader environmental approach. The project for Moser glassworks is part of this group. It is not having its batteries shipped from halfway around the world, but is putting its trust in a Czech solution based on batteries from electric cars manufactured in the Czech Republic. To me, this is clear proof that cost-effective solutions can also be genuinely environmentally friendly,“ added ČEZ ESCO CEO Kamil Čermák.

Gas remains the main energy source for production at Moser glassworks, heating the glass-melting furnaces. Although the glassworks also considered switching to electric furnaces, Mencl said this would be a very costly investment, running to tens of millions of crowns. It would also involve complex construction work, since the existing gas furnaces are half-buried in the ground. Switching to a different heating method would also partially change the technology on which the glassworks’ hand-crafted luxury glass production is based.