In the Centre-Val de Loire region of France, Caudalie has installed geothermal energy at its new logistics site. The company's buildings, which cover an area of 13 500 m2, are now heated and cooled using an environmentally friendly system. In the long term, the company hopes to achieve their goal of zero carbon emissions. Its subsidiary company, TOMCAT, carried out the work.
French company Caudalie has chosen to go ‘zero carbon’
- 29 March 2021
Our previous site was operated using a gas-fired heating system. But when we decided to expand the site, we tested geothermal energy using groundwater. We have a hidden treasure under our feet – water. This type of technology doesn’t consume hydrocarbons and so, in theory, it was the best solution for our new site.
Caudalie, which is a cosmetics company, has developed a new zero-emissions site. At the heart of this project is the installation of a geothermal energy system to meet their heating and cooling needs.
Two boreholes were drilled to a depth of 35 metres and then connected to two 220 kW heat pumps. In turn, these capture the heat energy within the groundwater before converting it into heat. This is then used to supply the heating circuit during the winter and the cooling system in summer.
Installing geothermal energy
As a family business that specialises in the design and marketing of cosmetic products, Caudalie is growing steadily, which has encouraged its directors to start construction of a new logistics platform near Orléans. The buildings on the new site cover an area of 13 500 m².
In order to heat and cool the entire premises, the company chose to use a groundwater geothermal system: this technical solution meets both its operational needs and its values regarding protecting the environment. A specialist thermal engineering firm carried out all the checks, enabling the project to be implemented in a safe manner and with the right dimensions.
The result has been positive – during the first year that the system has been in operation, the company's heating and cooling requirements have been met. By way of example, it was largely possible to mitigate the heatwave during the summer of 2019 through "natural cooling" processes. The system's compressors only needed to be activated once the outdoor temperature exceeded 40°C for several consecutive days.
A global vision of "zero carbon emissions"
Choosing to use geothermal energy is part of a global vision, the objective of which is to transition to a ‘zero carbon emissions’ site. The company has therefore chosen to implement optimal building insulation solutions: these include a smart system for managing energy and the purchase of ever more environmentally efficient equipment.
The company has purchased electric vehicles and installed electric charging points. Bee hives have also been set up in partnership with the local black bee society. Finally, Caudalie is also working on a project to install a self-consumption photovoltaic plant.
Total investment and European funding
Total investment for the “Geothermal Renewable Heat Production Facility” project is EUR 469 541; the contribution of the European Regional Development Fund amounts to EUR 120 689 under the "Operational Programme for the Centre-Val de Loire Region" cooperation programme for the 2014–2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority of “increasing the share of renewable thermal energies and reducing energy consumption in public and private buildings”.