Premier Lieberknecht Visits NESTRO

Written by Sven Puschner Thursday, 21 July 2011 00:00

Aktuell

The energy transition is a key topic this year. It is not only the rising demand for "green" energy because of nuclear discontinuation that has driven innovative companies such as NESTRO Lufttechnik GmbH to look for alternative energy sources and the more efficient use of existing resources.

Christine Lieberknecht, Premier of Thuringia, is touring her state under the energy banner this year. In July she visited 50 Thuringian companies engaged in the sustainable energy sector. In addition to a solar generating plant in Apolda and the Opel plant in Eisenach, she also stopped at NESTRO Lufttechnik GmbH in Schkölen on 20 July 2011.

For years NESTRO Lufttechnik GmbH has been developing energy-efficient machines and equipment offering added value, for example through the recovery of resources. NESTRO recognised early on that it can be cost-effective to recover residual material and return it to the value chain, and that protecting the environment does not have to cost a lot.

With the BRENNARO heating system developed by the company, which uses straw as fuel, NESTRO offers an interesting and environmentally friendly alternative - not only for farmers but, thanks to the comparatively low market price of straw, also for operations with a high demand for heat energy. Climate-friendly solutions consistently take centre stage in these efforts. Burning straw merely releases CO2 that was bound by the plants as they were growing.

Paulus Nettelnstroth, founder and CEO of NESTRO Lufttechnik GmbH, took advantage of this favourable occasion and questioned political decisions even during the plant tour with the Premier. Maintaining a production site with 245 employees is becoming more and more difficult, since new investments are continually required because of changing laws. A major current nuisance is the requirement to construct a rainwater collection basin. While the benefits of the basin for the company and the environment are close to zero, Nettelnstroth told the Premier that an unplanned investment of EUR 200,000 is required.

Christine Lieberknecht was open to the concerns of the entrepreneur. She listened attentively to the explanations of the company founder – especially when he proudly related the founding and development of the Hainchen location. Paulus Nettelnstroth entertained the delegation, which had arrived from Erfurt, with amusing anecdotes.

Ms. Lieberknecht expressed high praise for the courage and dedication of Paulus Nettelnstroth: visionary companies are important to the region and bring new impulses for stable growth, so the Premier. She stated that the development of energy-efficient technologies that conserve resources is another step towards an environmentally friendly future.