Merck's Life Science business sector is now feeding 2.25 megawatts of green electricity into the utility grid at its site in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

7,000 solar modules generate electricity for 700 households
Part of We Energies' "Solar Now" programme to promote renewable energy in Wisconsin
Underlines Merck's long-term commitment to renewable energy

The Life Science business sector of Merck, a leading science and technology company, is now feeding 2.25 megawatts of green electricity into the utility grid at its site in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. A total of 7,000 solar modules were installed for this purpose. The project is part of a 30-year land lease agreement with We Energies, the region's electric utility.

"This is the longest-term renewable energy contract in the company's history," said Jeffrey Whitford, head of Sustainability and Social Business Innovation in Merck's Life Science business sector. "It underscores our commitment to providing more green power to the grid through long-term contracts and is part of our overarching sustainability strategy to reduce resource use."

As part of the Solar Now programme, We Energies has installed 7,000 solar panels on nearly five acres at the Sheboygan Life Sciences Campus. With their generated energy, these can power around 700 homes. For the electricity generated by the solar modules per year, the company receives about 8,000 Renewable Energy Certificates, i.e. certificates of origin for regeneratively generated electricity, which corresponds to 33% of the electricity consumption at the Sheboygan site.

For Merck, the solar energy project in Sheboygan is an important step in its sustainability strategy, which aims to become climate-neutral by 2040. By 2030, Merck aims to source 80% of its electricity from renewable sources and reduce direct (Scope 1) and indirect (Scope 2) greenhouse gas emissions by 50% compared to 2020.

At the Sheboygan site, not only was the installation of the solar modules completed, but ground was also recently broken there for Merck's first production facility for the manufacture of lateral flow membranes in the USA. The company's Hi-Flow™ Plus lateral flow membranes are used in rapid diagnostic tests, for example for the detection of Covid-19.
www.merckgroup.com

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