Toyota Invests $9.3 Million in 10.8 Acres of U.S. Solar Arrays
Toyota is investing $9.3 million in new solar arrays across its plants in Alabama, Missouri, and West Virginia to reduce its reliance on outside energy needs. The array at its plant in Buffalo, West Virginia, will be the largest one in the state, while the one in Huntsville, Alabama, will span 3.3 acres, making it the largest one ever built in its county.
According to the Japanese automaker, the solar arrays will generate 4.95 megawatts of energy and reduce the company’s CO2 emission by 4,304 metric tons per year. Toyota also says the U.S. solar arrays will offset nearly 6.5 million kilowatt-hours of energy, about the amount it would take to power 800 homes annually.
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The Buffalo plant got the lion’s share of the money with a 6-acre array representing a $4.9 million investment. When the project is completed, which Toyota estimates will be in March 2021, it will generate 2.6 megawatts of solar-generated energy and reduce CO2 emissions at the West Virginia plant by 1,822 metric tons per year.
The Huntsville plant got the second-biggest share of the investment, but it’s especially notable for being one of Toyota’s most important global manufacturing facilities. Production at Huntsville began in 2003, and with $2.7 million invested in the new 3.3-acre solar array, Toyota’s total investment in the plant is now up to a whopping $1.2 billion. About a third of all Toyota engines produced in North America come out of Huntsville, with 1,400 team members building approximately 2,500 units every day. The new array, which will produce 1.6 megawatts of solar energy, should be completed by December.
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Finally, the smallest array will be completed at Toyota’s unit plant in Troy, Missouri. About 1.5 acres of solar panels will generate 0.75 megawatts of solar energy, representing a $1.7 million investment. The plant is older than the other two and employs over 900 people, but is smaller overall as it produces only cylinder heads.
Toyota has been consistently committed to reducing its impact on the environment, having set for itself ambitious goals for the year 2050, including cutting its CO2 emissions by 90 percent compared to its 2010 levels. These new U.S. solar arrays will only put a dent into those emissions, but it’s an important one for the company’s long-term goals.
Kurt Verlin was born in France and lives in the United States. Throughout his life he was always told French was the language of romance, but it was English he fell in love with. He likes cats, music, cars, 30 Rock, Formula 1, and pretending to be a race car driver in simulators; but most of all, he just likes to write about it all. See more articles by Kurt.