We also use renewable energy to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions caused by our energy requirements. However, at about 1% of the total energy consumption, the overall share of energy from renewable sources is still low. At the Merck Millipore site in Billerica, Massachusetts, around
12% of the electricity requirements in 2010 were covered by its own photovoltaic systems. The sites in Molsheim, France, and Bedford, Massachusetts, also use photovoltaics to generate power. In 2011, we plan to commission photovoltaic systems at the sites in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Rome, Italy.
At our site in Geneva, Switzerland, we use water from Lake Geneva for heating and cooling via heat exchangers. Water from the lake covers around 70% of the site’s energy needs. Together with electricity from hydroelectric power stations, 70% of the required energy comes from renewable energy sources.
