Dürr reduces energy consumption in painting by 21 percent
With EcoQPower, the machinery and plant manufacturer Dürr has developed a sustainable energy management system for automotive paint shops that can reduce energy requirements and CO2 emissions by around 20% each.
Dürr's intelligent EcoQPower system links all energy flows in the painting process and enables excess heat and cold to be used elsewhere for heating or cooling. Dürr is currently building a paint shop optimized with EcoQPower for a German car manufacturer. This is the first paint shop to comply with EU taxonomy requirements. The Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP in Stuttgart has analyzed the effect of EcoQPower on the CO2 balance of paint shops. Two identical paint shop concepts were compared - one with and one without EcoQPower and each with all-electric operation using a conventional electricity mix. The result: EcoQPower reduces CO2 emissions by 19.2% over the entire life cycle of the paint shop, i.e. from production (including material transportation) to recycling at the end of use. The usage phase is particularly crucial: thanks to EcoQPower, 21% less energy is required in the paint store, as the energy used is used much more efficiently. At the heart of the combined heating and cooling system realized with EcoQPower are heat pumps, water circuits and intelligent software.
Dr. Jochen Weyrauch, CEO of Dürr AG: "Painting is the most energy-intensive value-added step in automotive production. Our innovation work therefore focuses on the development of sustainable and highly automated technologies with maximum energy efficiency. In this way, we effectively support our customers in decarbonizing their plants and achieving their climate targets." The Fraunhofer study shows: The energy-optimized operation of paint shops with EcoQPower not only improves the carbon footprint but also the economic efficiency. With a service life of 15 years and 110,000 painted cars per year, plant operators save seven-figure costs per year thanks to the 21% reduction in energy consumption. The Dürr paint shop equipped with EcoQPower also meets the demanding requirements of the EU taxonomy. The taxonomy is a central element of the Green Deal, with which the European Union aims to accelerate the climate-friendly transformation of the economy. The set of rules serves to classify sustainable investments that promote climate and environmental protection.