Honda and BMW are among the latest auto manufacturers to begin incorporating on-site solar electricity generation at some of their facilities. Honda has been installing solar power generation systems at its operations in various locations around Japan, so far reaching a combined capacity of 3.3 megawatts.
Among the installations is a recently commissioned 9 kilowatt- solar power system at a Honda Cars Tokyo Chuo dealership. The installation marks the beginning of an initiative that will see over a hundred dealerships have similar solar panel arrays installed by March of 2014. The solar panels used are the company's own product - Honda Soltec CIGS thin-film solar cells. Honda Soltec is the company's solar component production and sales subsidiary.
Additionally, Honda says it will install a 2.6-megawatt Honda Soltec system at its new Yorii Plant, which the company says will be the largest solar power generation system installed at an automobile production facility in Japan.
BMW has also seen the light, having recently completed installing 400 solar modules, each with a 240 watt capacity, at BMW's Manufacturing's heritage museum and visitor's center situated alongside its South Carolina plant. The $500,000 solar power system provides all the electricity required to run the Zentrum Museum and will also be powering three new electric vehicle charging stations throughout the main facility.
"Adding a new, alternative energy platform to our energy portfolio is another step in our commitment to sustainable methods of generating power at our factory," said Duncan Seaman, Department Manager, Market Operations USA & Canada.
Mr. Seaman says the array complements BMW Manufacturing's existing landfill gas-to-energy and hydrogen fuel cell program, which offsets the fossil fuel requirements otherwise needed to run its facility.
Other auto manufacturers to harness solar energy to power some of their operations include Volkswagen, Renault, Ford and Toyota.
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