Erdenwerk Gregor Ziegler GmbH optimizes energy efficiency

Europe’s market leader for potting soil is becoming less dependent on the electricity grid and is sending out a strong signal for sustainable energy supply in production.

Munich/Plößberg, October 23, 2025 – Erdenwerk Gregor Ziegler GmbH from the Upper Palatinate is pushing ahead with its sustainability strategy. The family-owned company, Europe’s market leader for potting soils, will in the future rely on four battery storage systems from STABL Energy to make its energy supply more climate-friendly and cost-efficient.

The installation of the four storage systems will enable the company in Plößberg to flexibly buffer its own energy and reduce peak loads and grid charges. This step marks another milestone in the company’s history, which has stood for sustainable management for over 35 years.

“The main reason for our investment in battery storage is atypical grid usage. As we have to partially shut down our machines and adjust the energy management system accordingly during the three to six months of the year when we reach peak load windows, we can now operate our systems much more energy-efficiently,” says Matthias Ziegler, Managing Director at Gregor Ziegler GmbH.

Clean energy instead of diesel generators

The four new zero-life battery storage units with a total output of 1,620 kW and a usable capacity of 4,932 kWh are from the Munich-based technology company STABL Energy. They enable Erdenwerk Gregor Ziegler GmbH to temporarily store electricity from biomass power plants and the grid at times when the grid is under less load.

This enables the company to reduce its grid fees, increase its own consumption rate and at the same time act in a grid-friendly and low-emission manner.

“The storage systems enable atypical grid usage with reduced grid charges for Gregor Ziegler GmbH. At the same time, they ensure a clean and resource-efficient energy supply without fossil emergency solutions,” adds Markus Weiss, Project Manager at STABL Energy.

Sustainable energy meets the circular economy

A total of 1,296 zero-life battery modules are used, which were originally intended for electric vehicles but were not used there. Thanks to STABL Energy’s modular multilevel inverter technology, these batteries can be individually controlled and optimally monitored.

“After several discussions with various storage manufacturers, STABL Energy convinced us the most in technical terms. In contrast to central inverters, STABL’s modular approach offers us direct advantages in terms of control, as each battery module is controlled individually. This optimizes energy consumption and enables optimum monitoring of fire loads,” says Managing Director Ziegler, describing the advantages.

In Plößberg in the Upper Palatinate, a real example of how regional production, resource efficiency and innovative energy technology go hand in hand and how sustainable business is shaping the future.

About Erdenwerk Gregor Ziegler GmbH

For over 35 years, Gregor Ziegler GmbH has stood for the highest quality in the production of potting soils, substrates, bark products and peat substitutes. Under the Thermospan brand, the company also produces sustainable fuels such as wood pellets and wood briquettes and generates green electricity for sustainable production with its own biomass cogeneration plants. With its own logistics of around 80 trucks, the company employs around 200 people at its main site in Plößberg.

In addition to the site in Plößberg, the group of companies includes a site in Rheinmünster with a wood fiber production facility, a site in Wiesmoor for the production of soil and bark products, a site in the Czech Republic for the production of wellness products and a site in Latvia for the production of professional substrates for commercial horticulture.

What began in 1989 with the processing of regional cane bark has developed into one of the largest independent soil plants in Germany. The company has always been driven by the sensible use of natural by-products and the development of innovative solutions for the green market. The company employs a total of around 350 people at all its sites.

About STABL Energy GmbH

STABL Energy is a provider of sustainable and reliable battery storage systems with the aim of increasing the use of renewable energy and contributing to grid stabilization. Its easy-to-integrate inverter technology sets a new standard for battery storage systems in terms of design, safety, reliability, cost efficiency and handling. Thanks to the special design, the individual battery modules are interconnected independently and dynamically. This guarantees almost complete availability and modules in different states can be installed in one battery storage system.

Picture credits: Lobeco / STABL Energy GmbH