Ralph Heuwing, Chief Financial Officer at Dürr AG and responsible for the Clean Technology Systems division within the Board of Management: “The utilization of waste heat reduces CO2 emissions by more than 90% compared to a traditional heat supply system. In view of rising energy prices, it provides a cost-efficient and sustainable alternative to conventional energy supply. In Germany alone the market value of unused waste heat is estimated at € 25 billion per year. LaTherm offers innovative technology for recycling waste heat.”
Industrial waste heat is fed into the LaTherm containers via a water cycle. The containers store up to 2.5 MWh of heat using the storage medium sodium acetate. Sodium acetate is an environmentally sound medium that is also used as a food additive. The heat loss in the containers is less than 0.5% per day. LaTherm has already received several prestigious awards for its technology.
The planned increase to a 26% stake is subject to the achievement of pre-defined performance targets in 2012. LaTherm is the third acquisition that Dürr made in expanding the portfolio of the new Clean Technology Systems division. Dürr is reviewing further potential acquisitions within the scope of the “Dürr 2015” strategy. Clean Technology Systems is developing its business in environmental and energy-efficient technologies and planning to achieve sales revenues in excess of € 200 million by 2015. In 2011, sales revenues reached just under € 90 million.