PLANO, Texas, Aug. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota is adding
10.8 acres of new solar arrays across the company's plants in
Alabama, Missouri and West
Virginia, reducing its reliance on outside energy needed for
operations. The solar arrays will offset 6,480,000 kWh energy – the
equivalent of powering nearly 800 homes per year.
Toyota's $9.3 million solar
investment 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, TMNA Energy Manager. "We are committed to setting an example
of sustainability to show how a company can significantly reduce
the environmental impact of its operations."
The new solar arrays join similar projects at Toyota plants in
Texas and Mississippi, all of which support the
company's global Environmental Challenge 2050 to eliminate
all carbon emissions from manufacturing by the middle of the
century. Toyota Motor Corporation issued the Challenge as a set of
six goals with a target of achieving beyond zero environmental
impact. Toyota is one of the top 20 corporate users of installed
onsite solar capacity in the U.S., according to the Solar Energy
Industries Association.
Alabama
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama (TMMAL)
The Huntsville engine plant's
3.3-acre solar array will be the largest constructed to date
in Madison County, Alabama. The
$2.7 million investment will generate
1.6 megawatts of solar-generated energy and reduce CO2 emissions at
the plant by 1,732 metric tons annually. The project is
expected to be complete by December
2020.
Since starting production in 2003, the engine plant has expanded
five times with a total of $1.2
billion invested. 1,400 team members currently build
approximately 2,500 engines per day that go into 1/3 of Toyota
vehicles produced in North
America, making it one of the largest Toyota engine plants
globally.
Missouri
Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Missouri (TMMMO)
The solar array at Toyota's unit plant in Troy, Mo. will span 1.5 acres and generate
0.75 megawatts of solar-generated energy. The project will be the
largest solar array in Lincoln County,
Missouri. The $1.7 million
investment will reduce CO2 emissions at the plant by 750 metric
tons annually. The project is expected to be complete in
January 2021.
TMMMO team members produce cylinder heads for every Toyota
vehicle built in North America.
The plant started production in 1991 and has grown to over 900
employees with $455 million
invested.
West Virginia
Toyota Motor Manufacturing, West
Virginia (TMMWV)
Toyota's engine and transmission plant in Buffalo, W. Va. will be the largest solar
array in the state. The array will span 6 acres and generate 2.6
megawatts of solar-generated energy. The $4.9 million investment will reduce CO2 emissions
at the plant by 1,822 metric tons annually. The project is expected
to be complete in March 2021.
Established in 1996, TMMWV manufactures nearly one million
engines and transmissions for the Toyota Avalon, Camry, Corolla,
Highlander, Rav4 and Lexus ES and RX350. Additionally, in
June 2020 TMMWV became the first
Toyota facility in North America
to begin producing hybrid transaxles, which are built for the
Highlander and Sienna.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric
in the U.S. and North America for
more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable,
next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus
brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous
value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design,
engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks
in North America, where we have 14
manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in
Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and
directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the
U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in
the U.S.) sold 2.7 million cars and trucks (2.4 million in the
U.S.) in 2019.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights
the way it partners with community, civic, academic and
governmental organizations to address our society's most pressing
mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move,
anything is possible. For more information about Toyota,
visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
Contact: Kim Ogle,
kim.ogle@toyota.com, 256.714.3633
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SOURCE Toyota Motor North America