Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co., manufacturer of the square Ritter Sport tablets, confirms its commitment to sustainability with the commissioning of its own solar park. Located in the municipality of Wenzenbach, Bavaria, on a large area of four hectares, the solar park consists of 7,383 photovoltaic modules. Each year, these modules will generate about four million kWh of green solar energy, which is useful for producing about 120 million chocolate bars.

The project is an integral part of one of Ritter Sport's main goals, "Reduce Instead of Offset", aims to further decrease CO₂ emissions and contribute significantly to the fight against climate change. With the new solar farm, together with wind turbines, the company will be able to cover more than half of its electricity needs with self-generated energy from renewable sources.

Ritter Sport embarked on the road to climate neutrality more than 20 years ago, reducing greenhouse gas emissions with long-term targeted activities: since 2002, the confectionery company has been sourcing only green energy. The production site in Waldenbuch, located in the state of Baden-Württemberg, is equipped with a photovoltaic cogeneration plant in which solar energy is converted into electricity by some 1,000 photovoltaic panels. 

Early last year, the company electrified its internal logistics between the warehouse, production site and logistics center: it now employs trucks powered by electricity generated by the photovoltaic system located in the building that houses the warehouse. In addition, a wind turbine in Münchberg, Bavaria, went into operation at the end of last year, and a second one is currently under construction: through the two wind turbines, Ritter Sport will be able to count on a total power output of about 5.5 megawatts, the equivalent of 150 million tablets.

Among the things that make the solar farm project unique is the innovative approach to the use of the area: the photovoltaic systems, in fact, have been installed at a height of 80 cm. to allow sheep to graze, thus contributing to the ecological management of the areas, as well as fostering biodiversity through the planting of native species such as hawthorn, elderberry and blackthorn.

"As a family-owned company, our responsibility is to preserve our reality for future generations -explains Thomas Straub, managing director of Ritter Sport Italia-. Our chocolate is always at the center of everything we do, and nature provides everything we need for its production. Therefore, our task is to preserve the Planet's natural resources and actively combat climate change through constant initiatives. Our efforts in recent years in the energy sector are a further step toward the goal of complete neutrality in order to produce chocolate that is truly good in every way".