Toyota in UK car plant eco first

Toyota will become the UK’s first car manufacturer to add solar power generation facilities to its Burnaston car production plant.

The Derby factory is to get a solar array consisting of 17,000 solar panels – equivalent to the size of four and a half full-size football pitches.

Once up and running, the solar facilities will generate 4,600,000 kWh each year for the factory, which produces Toyota Auris, Auris Hybrid and Avensis.

Apparently, this power output is enough to make 150 million cups of tea. More importantly, it’s also enough energy to build 7,000 cars.

The overall CO2 saving will be 2,000 tonnes of CO2 each year. British Gas has paid for the £10 million install, and it will be up and running by July.

Solar power generation is part of Toyota’s ‘Sustainable Plant’ directives: the UK Burnaston plant is one of just five Toyota plants worldwide to get Sustainable Plant status.

These Toyota car plants are “designed to work in harmony with their local community and surrounding environment”.

It’s not the first time Burnaston has led UK plants in the eco stakes: in 1996, it was the first to be awarded an ISO rating for environmental management, while it achieved zero waste to landfill in 2002.

It even has a wet lake registered as a site of biological importance!

Tony Walker, Toyota Manufacturing UK deputy MD, said: “We are already making a significant contribution to the UK’s low carbon economy with production of Auris hybrid – the first European built full hybrid car.

“Generating solar power on-site to supply electricity to the plant underlines our commitment to do even more to further reduce our carbon footprint and is yet another example of our environmental leadership.”