Covestro drives electrification with more sustainable material solutions

Energy supply from wind and solar power is an important pillar for achieving global climate targets and greenhouse gas neutrality and conserving fossil resources. The switch from fossil to renewable energy sources is also accompanied by electrification of the important sectors of transport and buildings: the mobile and stationary future is electric.

A major challenge here is decentralized electricity storage to compensate for fluctuations in the generation of wind and solar energy. Plastics will play a central role in all these issues in the future - from power generation and storage to use in vehicles and at home. Covestrowill be showcasing a full range of innovative and more sustainable material solutions at the K 2022trade fair in Düsseldorf, Germany, from October 19 to 26.

Renewable energy on the rise

Take wind power, for example: an innovative polyurethane (PU) resin enables more efficient and cost-effective production of robust rotor blades. Covestro is working with key industrial partners to roll out this new resin technology for blade composites. The product portfolio also includes PU elastomers for offshore wind farms, which ensure kink-protected power cablesand thus smooth transmission of electricity to the mainland.

Covestro is also gradually converting its global production to energy supply with green electricity. To this end, the company has signed supply agreements with European suppliers Ørsted to supply its German sites and with ENGIE for its production in Antwerp, Belgium; in both cases, the electricity comes from wind power. In Germany, Covestro has also contractually secured a long-term supply of solar power - 63 megawatts of capacity - from the country's largest solar park operated by energy company EnBW in Brandenburg. In China, Covestro also purchases solar power from the local supplier Datang Wuzhong New Energy Co. Further supply contracts for electricity from renewable sources are planned.