SAVWIPL or Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Pvt Ltd has been taking up a lot of go-green initiatives in India. Last year they launched a major solar PV project at its Aurangabad facility and now, a new Solar PV power project is now operating at its Chakan facility near Pune. This project consists of as many as 25,770 photovoltaic (and hence PV) panels that cover a space of 63,000 square meters on the roof of the premises. This project can product 12.2 million kWh of energy on an annual basis.
The company claims that with this project in place, it will now take care of 15-20 % of the plants total electrical consumption. Further, because solar energy is clean (and free!), Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Pvt Ltd will cut down on its carbon footprint as well. It is estimated that upto 9020 tons of carbon dioxide emissions from various production processes will be cut down.
This new solar PV project is the largest of its kind in the auto industry world wide. In India itself, it is one of the largest rooftop solar installations across all industries. SAVWIPL has undertaken this project in agreement with Amp Energy India. The latter is a global developer of flexible clear energy solutions.
The 25,770 polycrystalline modules are highly efficient and because they cover the roof area, direct heat radiation inside the plant also get reduced. Other measures for the companys go to zero green initiative are illustrated below:
Gurpratap Boparai, Managing Director, `KODA AUTO Volkswagen India Pvt Ltd. said The installation of the Solar Power Generation Project at our production facility in Pune reinforces our commitment towards building a SUSTAINABLE FUTURE. We have taken a small but significant step towards contributing to Indias commitment to the world in reducing carbon footprint. With a vision of reducing the negative impact of our manufacturing operations towards the environment, we will endeavor to implement more environmentally sustainable projects in the future.
Commenting on the launch, Pinaki Bhattacharyya, CEO AMP Energy India said Automobile sector is on a tectonic shift globally to use renewable energy for production in their plants. The Volkswagen group has been leading the way in innovation and efficiency. It was a pleasure working with the collaborative and knowledgeable SKODA AUTO Volkswagen India team on this project. We are excited that this partnership resulted in a world class rooftop project that is amongst the largest solar rooftop project in India and would help the company minimize their carbon footprint and energy costs.
