Bentley has installed a solar carport at its factory headquarters in Crewe, UK. The OEM claims that this is the UK’s largest ever solar car port. They further claim that all the electricity used to manufacture every Bentley is solar or certified green.
Bentley has installed 10,000 solar panels, which have a capacity of 2.7MW, cover 1,378 car parking spaces and an area of 16,426 sq.m., enough to cover two football pitches.
Commenting on Bentley’s investment, Peter Bosch, Bentley’s member of the board for manufacturing, said:
“It’s important to look ahead and prepare the business for the next 100 years by investing significantly in our products, our people and our site infrastructure. This includes 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, these sustainable measures strengthen our desire to lead the way in sustainable luxury mobility.”
Bentley claims that the solar car port takes its total on-site solar panel energy capacity to 7.7MW, enough to cover over 1,750 homes. This includes the 2013 roof top installation of 20,815 panels with the total number of individual solar panels on site in Crewe now 30,815.
The car port was installed by FlexiSolar, an innovative solar car port specialist with the project backed by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency driven to support the science and technology initiatives that will grow the UK economy.