A Smart Flower to generate clean energy in manufacturing facilities

CNH Industrial is actively engaged in reducing the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with its manufacturing processes across its entire value chain and product range. This approach is fundamental for the continuous improvement of the company’s performance and the protection of the environment.

CNH Industrial’s plants have specific systems and processes in place to reduce energy consumption and limit the use of fossil fuels, favouring electricity from renewable sources.

When setting its 2024 strategic sustainability targets to become a carbon neutral company, CNH Industrial identified two priorities: a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to 2014 per production unit at company plants worldwide and for 80% of total electricity consumption at company plants worldwide to come from renewable sources.

Construction is a key sector for Europe’s Green Deal strategy: it is diverse and includes many opportunities for sustainability not only in project design and materials selection but also in the organisation and operation of the construction site and the machinery used. CNH Industrial’s brand CASE Construction Equipment is taking a holistic approach to contributing to the Green Deal goals, from developing low emissions technologies for its machinery, to generating clean energy in manufacturing facilities.

The ‘Smart Flower’ implemented at CASE’s Lecce manufacturing plant is one of the projects developed in the company’s European industrial facilities to meet the Company’s sustainability targets. Like a sunflower, the Smart Flower’s petals track the sun and transform its rays into electricity, contributing to CNH Industrial’s sustainability targets to reduce CO2 emissions per production unit worldwide. The energy accumulated by this system at the Lecce plant is being used to provide power to the security entrance building of the facility.

The Smart Flower solar modular fan moves horizontally and vertically at a precise 90-degree angle in response to the sun position, even when it is cloudy. With a surface area of just 18 square meters, the Smart Flower is relatively small, yet it can deliver up to 6,200 kWh per year – more than enough to fulfill the entire electricity requirement of an average household in central Europe. And unlike static photovoltaic systems, which receive optimum sunlight only for a few hours a day, this solar innovation produces electricity from sunrise to sunset, resulting in a 40 percent increase in solar energy output. Smart cooling and self-cleaning functions ensure that the system is completely automatic and easy to manage, and minimises energy loss through heat and contamination.

The Smart Flower system has been installed in other CNH Industrial European plants: Suzzara (Italy), Valladolid (Spain) and Annonay (France).

About CASE

In the business of earth moving for more than 175 years, CASE sells and supports a full line of construction equipment around the world, including the first ever factory integrated backhoe loader right through to today’s excavators, motor graders, wheel loaders, vibratory compaction rollers, crawler dozers, skid steers, compact track loaders and rough-terrain forklifts. CASE dealers support the brand purpose to help build communities by distributing world-class equipment, aftermarket support, industry-leading warranties and flexible financing. CASE’s Lecce manufacturing facility in Italy produces full size wheel loaders, compact wheel loaders, backhoe loaders, motor graders and telehandlers.