Bentley Motors has started work on what will be the UK’s biggest solar carport at its factory headquarters in Crewe, as part of the luxury carmaker’s plan to boost its green power production.
Over the next six months Bentley will install 10,000 solar panels over its car park at the Crewe site, creating a solar farm with a capacity of 2.7MW. The company already has more than 20,000 panels installed on the factory’s rooftop.
Peter Bosch, board member for manufacturing, said the installation will help reduce the environmental impact of Bentley’s production process.
“This solar installation is another example of how we can make our factory more sustainable by using technological innovation,” he said. “This helps us produce extraordinary cars with responsibly sourced materials in an efficient manner, while continually striving to reduce the company’s environmental impact.”
At the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year Bentley launched its first luxury plug-in hybrid, adding a charging dock to the Bentayga model that was first launched two years ago to give the car a 50km all-electric range.
Bentley also enlisted renowned designer Philippe Starck to create the recharging unit, the Bentley by Starck Power Dock, which is from aluminium and “pressed eco-linen with bio-sourced thermosetting resin”.
“We continue to focus on new initiatives that reinforce our commitment to the environment, whether this is introducing alternative powertrain technologies in future models, or our award-winning work to reduce the environmental impact of our factory,” Bosch added.
Source: businessgreen.com
