In the UK, Bentley has just completed the installation of the largest solar carport in the country.
The installation of 10,000 solar panels, cover 1378 car parking spaces and an area of 16,426s sq m — enough to cover two football fields.
Together they produce which have a capacity of 2.7mW and take the company’s total on-site solar panel energy capacity to 7.7mW — enough to power more than 1750 homes.
This includes the 2013 roof top installation of 20,815 panels, with the total number of individual solar panels on site in Crewe now standing at 30,815.
The company’s headquarters in Crewe is home to all of its operations including design, R&D, engineering and production of the company’s four model lines, Bentayga, Continental, Flying Spur and Mulsanne.
Bentley employs around 4,000 people at Crewe.
Member of the Board for Manufacturing, Peter Bosch, said it’s important to look ahead and prepare the business for the next 100 years by investing significantly in products, people and site infrastructure.
This includes new initiatives that reinforce our commitment to the environment, he said.
“Whether this is introducing alternative powertrain technologies in future models, or our award-winning work to reduce the environmental impact of our factory, these sustainable measures strengthen our desire to lead the way in sustainable luxury mobility,” he said.
The car port was installed by FlexiSolar, the innovative solar car port specialist with the project backed by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency driven to support the science and technology initiatives that will grow the UK economy.
The system could reduce CO2 emissions by 3300 tonnes per year and means 100 per cent of Bentley’s on-site electricity is produced by either solar panels or purchased as certified green energy.
Bentley doesn’t say how much the installation cost but it could in part explain why its cars cost so much.
Only joking.
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