The luxury car firm have announced that UK based manufacturing will be solar-powered from now on.
ADVERTISEMENTBentley motors has announced this week that it will be taking a more sustainable approach to manufacturing. The luxury car firm is celebrating its centenary year by ensuring that 100% of the electricity used in its factory headquarters in Crewe, is solar or green energy approved.
By installing 10,000 solar panels that generate 2.7 Megawatts of power, Bentley are aiming to reduce their levels of CO2 by 3,300 tonnes per year. The new installation announced on 1st May is a significant investment for the car firm, covering 1,378 car parking spaces, or the equivalent to spanning across two football pitches. Having already installed a substantial 20,815 solar panels on the factory roof in 2013, Bentley’s headquarters in Crewe now cumulatively generate 7.7 megawatts of solar energy. Bentley now proudly claims to have installed the UK’s largest ever solar-powered car port.
Bentley’s Member of the Board for Manufacturing, Peter Bosch, commented:
“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.
“This solar installation is another example of how we can make our factory more sustainable by using technological innovation. This helps us produce extraordinary cars with responsibly-sourced materials in an efficient manner, while continually striving to reduce the company’s environmental impact.”
You’ll be pleased to know that Bentley is not the only luxury car manufacturer taking sustainability more seriously. The Rolls-Royce factory, set in the heart of the South Downs National Park, was also created to have as little impact on the environment as possible. Designer Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, known for his involvement with the Eden Project in Cornwall, considers sustainability in every detail of his work - from the construction materials and methods, to the landscaping and production processes.
In light of the UK government’s official advisers urging the country to cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, both Bentley and Rolls-Royce are certainly accelerating in the right direction towards this target.
