The KHS Group has taken a further important step towards international decarbonization. With the commissioning of a new photovoltaic system at its production site in Ahmedabad, India, in the future the company will save up to 1,000 metric tons of indirect carbon emissions from purchased energy (scope 2) a year. The solar energy plant has a capacity of 750.2 kWp and generates 1,100 MWh of green electricity per annum.
“The installation of this new photovoltaic system once again underlines our commitment to sustainable growth and environmental protection. It shows that KHS in India is taking on a pioneering role,” says Biresh Banerjee, responsible for Facility Management, Safety, Health, Environment & Energy (SHEE) and Sustainability at KHS Machinery Pvt. Ltd. in Ahmedabad. Following a three-month installation phase, the solar energy plant went into operation at the beginning of March and now supplies the production shop and offices with green electricity.
Thanks to this investment, KHS’ Indian factory is drawing closer to its goal of meeting its own energy requirement, now only having to draw about 20% from the national grid. “With up to 3,000 hours of sunshine a year, the Ahmedabad region is predestined for greater use of solar energy. By 2028, our photovoltaic system is to be expanded to produce 1,051 MWp. With the infrastructure already prepared, we’ll then be fully autonomous in our energy supply,” Banerjee continues.
Use of cutting-edge technology
The solar panels have been installed on the rooftops of two production shops. Here, KHS opted for what are known as bifacial solar cells (BSCs) for its PV system that can generate electricity via both their front and rear sides. The double-sided transparent glass construction uses direct sunlight on one side and reflected light from the substructure on the other, thus considerably increasing the electricity yield. “India is an important growth market for the KHS Group with an increasing demand for carbonated beverages and hygienically packaged products. These investments demonstrate that technological market leadership and sustainable action go hand in hand at KHS,” states Dr. Julia Niehaus, Sustainability Management and Strategic Projects at KHS. KHS has been active in India for more than three decades and is clear market leader with a share of 35%. From its over 115,000 square meters of space in Ahmedabad, the systems provider supplies beverage bottlers throughout India and Southeast Asia with cutting-edge filling equipment and packaging technology.
Photovoltaic system contributes to defined climate goals
This climate strategy is a key element of KHS’ sustainability policy. The Salzgitter AG subsidiary aims to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. In the short term, its scope 1 and 2 emissions are therefore to be reduced by 36% by 2028, among other goals. “Because of our global structure, a large percentage of our location-based scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions is generated at KHS’ international production sites. This is why our decarbonization path includes measures at all of our facilities. By investing in our own PV systems, we want to continuously increase the percentage of renewable energy in our total energy supply,” Niehaus explains.
At the end of 2025, KHS commissioned a solar power plant with a capacity of 1,000 MWh per year at its Chinese factory in Kunshan. In the few years before this, the use of renewable energy had been driven also at KHS in Germany. Working with the MaGeno-Solar employees’ cooperative, PV systems were set up at the plants in Dortmund, Bad Kreuznach and Worms.
India a role model for water management
KHS is constantly improving its sustainability record at its international production sites with targeted climate and environmental protection measures. In its religiously exercised system of holistic environmental management supported by ISO 14001 (environment) and ISO 50001 (energy) certification, KHS in India has acted as a general role model in this field for many years. On this basis, the factory has been able to significantly increase the energy and resource efficiency of its various processes.
“In India, resource efficiency is essential, especially as regards water,” Banerjee claims. “We more or less fully circulate our process water so that we can retreat it and reuse it for cooling or landscape management.” The water used by KHS is extracted from the company’s own well, with its consumption digitally monitored and controlled on a daily basis by several measurement systems. What’s more, all rainwater is systematically collected on site.
