Crown Battery enhances green energy initiatives

Industrial battery manufacturer Crown Battery is celebrating Earth Day with a commitment to use 100% renewable energy for its manufacturing operations beginning this year.

The Fremont, Ohio-based company is best known for its lead-acid batteries and charging systems, which are used in a wide range of industrial applications, including for powering forklifts and other material handling equipment. Company leaders said they have signed a contract with AEP Energy to source clean energy through AEP’s Integrated Renewable Energy (IRE) solution to power its manufacturing operations. The long-term, fixed-price retail energy program will support new, locally sourced wind and solar power for more than 12 years beginning in January 2023, they said.

The company will purchase Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) from AEP Ohio to power operations until the IRE supply begins, leaders also said. RECs are proof that energy has been generated from renewable sources.

“Sustainability is a key buying requirement for us, and we aren’t alone,” John Connell, vice president of Crown Battery’s SLI Products Group, said in a statement. “More and more, our customers are asking, ‘Do you have a sustainability program in place?’ And companies have openly told us that they switched from prior suppliers to us because of our green manufacturing efforts.”

To date, Crown says it has invested more than $8 million in energy efficiency, including the use of on-site solar panels, ultra-efficient lighting, and geothermal cooling. The company’s latest project is an ultra-efficient charging system, which company leaders say will drastically reduce energy consumption.

Lead-acid batteries are 99% recyclable, and about 80% of the material for new lead-acid batteries comes from previously recycled batteries, according to government statistics.

“Crown’s battery type is already more recyclable than an aluminum can, according to the U.S. EPA,” company President Hal Hawk said in a statement. “This commitment to renewable energy makes our batteries even greener.”

The company said its new sustainability efforts will reduce carbon dioxide emissions, protect the environment, and benefit the local economy.