Syva confirms its commitment to the environment and continues to reduce its environmental footprint by taking a giant step towards greater energy efficiency with the installation of more than 3,000 square metres of photovoltaic panels on the roofs of its production centre in the León Technology Park.

One day after World Energy Saving Day, Syva is proud to announce that, after several months of hard work, it has started producing its first kilowatts of electricity.

“This is an important step in the life of our company, which is committed to reducing the impact of its activities on the environment, constantly improving its energy efficiency and reducing its dependence on fossil fuels, as part of a sustainable development approach.”, declared César Carnicer, Syva’s General Manager.

Syva’s photovoltaic energy project is part of the “energy efficiency plan” that the Engineering, Maintenance and Utilities unit started to develop in 2019, which consists of a series of very specific projects aimed at reducing its energy costs and carbon footprint. It is evident that a high-tech company of this scale, whose mission is to improve the health and welfare of animals by providing meaningful solutions, is committed on a societal level to the preservation of what is now known as the Onehealth ecosystem.

The project for the installation of photovoltaic panels had already been presented as an own initiative in 2020, and although it did not progress then, this first study was the fundamental starting point for carrying out the numerous analyses necessary to draw up strict and precise specifications, in order to invite tenders from the various engineering and installation companies active in the photovoltaic sector.

As points out Jorge de la Varga Lobato, responsible for the energy efficiency plan ecoSyva and Manager of the Engineering, Maintenance and Utilities Area at Syva, implementing a plan of this type represents a major technical challenge in the context of a plant producing vaccines and animal health products.

“We try to make a comprehensive approach to engineering that encompasses all the activities carried out within the pharmaceutical industry and the multitude of technological actions in our environment, including the optimisation of resources, the search for efficiency in production systems and energy saving. In this way, we aim to keep our company’s objectives in line with those of today’s society and to maintain our commitment to sustainability and the environment.”

La instalación de 1.535 paneles fotovoltaicos es the first and most important phase of EcoSyva’s plan for the next 7 years, with the aim of drastically reducing its energy dependence and carbon footprint by 2030..

7 key figures you need to remember about this project. [infografía]

The 1,535 photovoltaic panels installed on the roofs of Syva’s production units in the León Technology Park cover a surface of 3,070 square metres, with an energy production capacity of 844.25 kWp at maximum efficiency. This energy production will be 100% self-consumed by our vaccine and antimicrobial production plants, and represents around 15% of total consumption. It is estimated that the installation will reduce atmospheric gas emissions by 273.21 tonnes of CO₂ per year, as well as 392.05 kg of SO₂ (sulphur dioxide) and 554.20 kg of NOx (nitrogen oxide) produced by the combustion of fossil fuels. This is equivalent to the average absorption capacity of a forest of 1,636 trees. It is also estimated that the return on investment will not exceed 6 years.

The next important phase of the ecoSyva plan, within the framework of capturing solar energy, will take place in 2024, with the installation of photovoltaic panels on the roof of our headquarters, also located in the León Technology Park, in front of our veterinary medicine production units. Those panels will cover slightly more than 25% of the annual energy consumption of the essentially administrative staff building.

The choice of a partner to carry out the work on these large-scale projects is crucial. For Iasol, the company selected to implement our project, there is no doubt that this is a great challenge, especially because, according to those responsible for the project, this is the largest installation achieved so far by Iasol in Castilla y León.

Every day, all of us here at Syva are doing everything we can to reduce our carbon footprint.

As part of the ecoSyva Horizon 2030 plan, other actions have been carried out and specific tasks continue to be achieved to reduce energy costs. The production of vaccines and antibacterials requires certain equipment to be functioning 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The automation of some operations is gradually being increased based on the calculation of fluctuations according to energy demands, and combustion regulation systems have been installed in the boiler burners to achieve lower and more efficient consumption. This other part of the plan, dedicated to heat generation, also includes the installation of economisers on the flue gas outlets of the boilers themselves in order to reduce gas emissions into the atmosphere. In a way, it is also possible to use the heat generated to supply other activities that require it.

On a human level, it must be said that for several years now in SYVA we are all aware of our role in the preservation of the environment, and each employee contributes daily to reducing the impact of our activities on the environment through essential actions.

ABOUT IASOL

Iasol, with more than 18 years of activity, specialised in the development, design, installation, operation and maintenance of self-consumption photovoltaic installations for industrial customers, agri-food facilities and large energy consumers, states that most of this new self-consumption solar energy capacity has been installed in the industrial sector (47%), followed by the residential sector (32%) and the commercial sector (20%). According to the company, the sectors that can benefit most from energy efficiency plans are those with high energy consumption, such as the food industry, the agricultural sector, chemical industries, as well as the pharmaceutical and automotive industries, among others.

The company has been operating in Castilla y León since 2021 through a new delegation based in Valladolid, and has already achieved several important installations.

22 September, 2023

Azucena Mora, winner of the Syva Award 2003, achieves the highest academic level

It has been an impressive journey since 2003, when she submitted her thesis and, as a young doctor, won the Syva Award. Since then, their paths have regularly crossed with those of our colleagues. Her testimonial as a winner and as a member of the panel of the jury for the 25th edition of the Award in 2022 and...

Read more

30 August, 2023

New tool for controlling erysipelas and PPV: Syvac® Ery Parvo

Because every farm is unique, it needs individualised protocols for swine erysipela and PPV control. Failing to control erysipelas and PPV throughout a sow's life can lead to a host of problems that are difficult to control and have a direct impact on production.

Read more

19 July, 2023

Interview with Inés Ruedas, winner of the Syva Award 2023 – Tierras Porcino

We could not miss this excellent interview, conducted by Interempresas for Tierras Porcino, which recently interviewed our Syva 2022 award winner, Inés Ruedas Torres, about her thesis and the numerous challenges that the pig sector faces in the fight against PRRSV. In her interview, Inés speaks about the new advances in the fight against this disease, but also about the...

Read more

+ Read more news