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APE Grupo goes solar

APE Grupo se suma a la energía solar

APE Grupo’s latest commitment is to solar energy. Based in Castellón, Spain, the environmentally conscious company has introduced improvements to reduce its environmental impact and help ensure a sustainable future. Following several awards for its work in this area, the tile company will generate clean energy by installing new solar panels, which will be used to supply its offices in Castellón and reduce the use of other energies at its logistics centre.

APE Grupo has installed 90 solar panels at its Castellón head office, providing a power output of 40.5 kW. A further 135 panels have also been installed at the Onda warehouses, with a power output of 60.75 kW.

These solar panel systems will generate 60,100 kWh per year in Castellón and another 90,000 kWh in Onda, providing a total of 150,100 kWh of clean energy per year. This energy is the equivalent to the average annual consumption of 45 Spanish households. To give a more exact idea, according to the Spanish Electricity Network (REE), the average Spanish household consumes about 270 kWh each month, totalling around 3,272 kWh per year.

But that is not all: this solar energy system will allow the Castellón company to reduce its annual CO2 emissions by 36.8 tonnes – 14,795 kilos of CO2 thanks to the panels in Castellón and 22,192 kilos in the case of Onda. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, these 36.8 tonnes are equivalent to the emissions produced by a vehicle travelling 150,000 kilometres. In other words, the same amount of carbon captured by 612 trees over 10 years.

Sustainable environment

This is not the first time that APE Grupo has undertaken this type of action as part of its strategic Corporate Social Responsibility plan.

Since the construction of its showroom, located in the Ciudad del Transporte area of Castellón, the company has stood out for its environmental awareness. For instance, in 2016 its facilities were renovated to make them more environmentally friendly. This made possible to acquire the BREEAM certification, a sustainable construction recognition that confirms the building is efficient and environmentally responsible.

Furthermore, the company also renewed its ISO 14001 certification in 2021, which certifies good work in managing and preventing environmental risks inherent to the company’s activity. In the same period, the company also registered the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for its porcelain stoneware products.

APE Grupo also joined this year’s ‘Earth Hour’, becoming the first company in the ceramics sector to participate in the WWF initiative in 2021. ‘Earth Hour’ is the largest global environmental advocacy action known to date. This initiative is supported by more than 100 Spanish companies, including APE Grupo, which represents the tile industry.