Biggest solar panel installation in the history of the automotive industry
CO2 emissions will be slashed by thousands of tonnes following SEAT’s installation of 53,000 solar panels at their Martorell factory – to date the biggest installation in the industry’s history.
SEAT’s flagship effort at environmental protection, the SEAT al Sol (SEAT Sun) project, was completed this month. The Spanish company’s new solar panels cover an area the size of 40 football pitches (or a hefty 270,000 square metres) and generate 15,000,000 kWh per year. This will lower annual CO2 emissions by 7,000 tonnes and make the production process significantly more efficient. These energy savings are equivalent to a quarter of the amount of energy required on a yearly basis to produce the new SEAT Leon.
Solar paneling the Martorell plant on such a large scale is a pace-setting move by SEAT and sets a benchmark for green energy production in the automotive industry. The SEAT al Sol project is the brainchild of a strategic partnership between the car company and photovoltaic panel developer Gestamp Solar to provide clean energy that can meet demands of an industrial scale but without hindering output from SEAT’s Martorell plant. The project was pulled off, and as well as avoiding a decrease in production efficiency, by installing the panels SEAT actually gained overhead protection for its the automobiles from weather-related damage such as scorching sun or heavy rain.
SEAT commits to environmental protection
Since the SEAT al Sol project launched in mid 2010, it has received 35 million Euros in investment. However, this project is not a one-off move; it is part of SEAT’s wider policy of sustainable production. The Martorell plant also uses two 40 kilometre train lines as a critical means of green manufacturing, and this reduces truck use by 50,000 trips per year (cutting CO2 emissions by 2,000 tons). One of the train lines forges a link with the Port of Barcelona (the Autometro) and is used to transport the cars themselves, whilst the other transports components from the premises of the Zona Franca of Barcelona (the Cargometro).
The sustainability that SEAT has achieved in the Martorell’s cogeneration plant is evident in that it generates 50% of the power and 90% of the thermal energy that it consumes, a total saving that approaches 12,800 tonnes of CO2 every year. In addition, an agreement between SEAT and renewable energy supplier ACCIONA means that all of this power comes from renewable sources.
SEAT’s commitment to green production and sustainable manufacturing methods has been recognised through ISO 50001 and ISO 14001 certificates. What’s more, the Martorell factory has been noted for the quality and efficiency of its production processes and it was the first Spanish production centre to receive an Automotive Lean Production Award, in October 2013.
SEAT al Sol makes a huge contribution to the Volkswagen Group’s commitment to environmental protection and will help move the Group closer to its target of raising the sustainability of its factories by 25% in the next five years (by 2018).