Toyota is investing $9.3 million to add 10.8 acres of new solar arrays across the company’s plants in Alabama, Missouri and West Virginia. These arrays will generate 4.95 megawatts of energy and reduce CO2 emissions at the plants by 4,304 metric tons annually.
“Toyota continuously looks for new ways to reduce water usage, recycle materials and conserve energy, and we are proud to add solar panels to our line-up of best practices,” said Kevin Bell, Toyota Motor North America energy manager.
At the Huntsville Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Alabama facility, 3.3-acres of solar arrays will be installed — the largest built to date in Madison County. The $2.7 million investment will generate 1.6 megawatts of energy and reduce CO2 emissions at the engine plant by 1,732 metric tons annually. The project is expected to be complete this December.
The solar array at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, West Virginia, in Buffalo, will be the largest solar array in the state. At 6 acres, it is expected to generate 2.6 megawatts of solar-generated energy and offset CO2 emissions by 1,822 metric tons annually. It is a $4.9 million investment that is expected to be complete in March 2021.
At Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Missouri, the solar array in Troy will span 1.5 acres and generate 0.75 megawatts of energy, reducing CO2 emissions at the plant by 750 metric tons. The $1.7 million investment is expected to be complete in January 2021.
Once online, all of these solar arrays will offset 6,480,000 kWh energy — the equivalent of powering nearly 800 homes per year.
These three arrays join similar projects at plants in Texas and Mississippi, all of which support the company’s global Environmental Challenge 2050 plan to eliminate all carbon emissions from manufacturing by the middle of the century.
One of the company’s largest engine plants globally, the Alabama plant has expanded five times, a $1.2 billion investment. The four-cylinder, V-6 and V-8 engines made at the plant go into a third of the Toyota vehicles produced in North America.
The plant in West Virginia manufactures engines and transmissions for the Toyota Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Highlander, Rav4 and Lexus ES and RX350. In June, it became the first Toyota facility in North America to begin producing hybrid transaxles, which are built for the Highlander and Sienna.
In Missouri, Toyota team members produce cylinder heads for every Toyota vehicle built in North America. The plant started production in 1991 and currently employs 900 workers.
