Toyota will have a solar installation producing 4.6GWh of electricity fully operational before changes to the feed-in tariff scheme (FIT) come into force on 1 August.
Work has already begun to install the 17,000 solar photovoltaic panels that will form the large ground-mounted system, after planning permission was granted by South Derbyshire District Council.
The panels, which will cost £10 million, will cover 90,000m2 of land next to Toyota factory in Derbyshire and will produce enough electricity to cover 5% of the facility’s energy needs – enough energy to build around 7,000 cars a year.
If the installation goes ahead as planned, British Gas, which is paying for and installing the panels, will benefit from the higher rate of payment under the government’s FIT scheme for generating the electricity renewably.
British Gas, which has come out in support the changes to the FIT tariffs to stop large-scale solar farms from benefiting unfairly from the scheme, has confirmed the higher payments will mean the project will perform in line with the 5-8% rate of return estimated by DECC for FIT installations.
Jon Kimber, managing director of British Gas New Energy, welcomed the scheme’s announcement saying that renewable energy offered business the chance to cut costs and reduce carbon emissions.
“Solar power has the potential to make this happen and really revolutionise the way Britain’s homes and businesses generate energy,” he said. “Toyota is a real beacon for green business throughout the UK.”
Toyota’s scheme, which is the first of its kind to be installed by a UK motor manufacturer, will save up to 2,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year and is a key element of the firm’s approach to operate more sustainably.
“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,” said Tony Walker, deputy managing director Toyota Manufacturing UK.
