Yamaha installs solar power plant at Surajpur facility; to save Rs 1.2 crore in energy costs

In a bid to reduce CO2 emissions and generate energy at a lower cost at all its manufacturing facilities in India, Japanese two-wheeler maker India Yamaha Motor has started operations of its 5000 KW solar power project in collaboration with Amplus Solar at its Surajpur and Faridabad plants as well as its SMCC Construction India facility at Chennai.

The maintenance, installation and operation of the solar power system is being undertaken by Amplus Solar. The Surajpur solar project kicked off operations starting May 2016.

The newly installed power plant will harness both solar and wind power to generate energy and will cut CO2 emissions by around 138,000 metric tonnes that will accrue in a saving of 10,20,000 barrels of crude oil annually.

“This system is very efficient for energy saving and as a CSR activity, Yamaha is adopting all environment-friendly initiatives in its factories,” Takashi Terabayashi managing director of India Yamaha Motor told Autocar Professional. With this, the company will develop its products through eco management.

The 4MW solar power plant at Surajpur is the largest rooftop plant in the country and will lead to both environmental benefits and cost savings in energy consumption. It will generate 3.8 lakh KWH electricity per month An investment of Rs 33 crore has gone into the project in all the three Yamaha plants with 1300 solar panels being installed on the rooftop at Surajpur.

“There are plans for further expansion as a couple of more buildings are remaining at Surajpur and we plan to install solar panels even in the car parking. It is linked to Yamaha’s global policy to reduce CO2 emissions,” adds Sanjiv Paul VP-Manufacturing Group-Centre head.  

The solar panels have been made by a Tier I Canadian module manufacturer in China.

Yamaha's other solar projects

Globally Yamaha reduces CO2 emissions by 1 percent per vehicle every year and this initiative is in line with that direction. In fact, Yamaha’s Surajpur plant has cut the carbon footprint by 20 percent in the first six months of this CY per vehicle and an estimated saving of Rs 1.2 crore is targeted this CY in energy costs.   

This project will enable IYM to save Rs 58 crore over a 25-year period at both the Surajpur and Faridabad plants while in Chennai the saving will be to the amount of Rs 10.5 crore over a similar period.

Overall the company will save Rs 68.5 crore over a 25 year period. “At present IYM is meeting 10-12 percent of the total demand of the Surajpur facility, 3 percent of the Faridabad unit and 2 percent of the total demand at Chennai through this project,” says Terabayashi.

At Faridabad, the solar power plant has involved a cost of Rs 4 crore and has a total capacity of 500KW. It will generate electricity of 60,000 KWH monthly and harnesses 1,513 solar panels.  The Chennai power plant, in turn, has a total capacity of 340KW and generates electricity of 40,000 KWH per month. It has also involved a cost of Rs 4 crore and has 1,116 solar panels installed at the plant. An additional 700-1000KW rooftop solar plant is being further explored here.   

A similar power plant that leverages solar and wind power for energy generation was earlier installed by Yamaha at the Nakaze factory in Japan in 2008. The factory which forms and paints motorcycle exterior parts, witnessed the first installation of the solar power project. This was followed by similar installations at the Fukuroi and Morimachi factories.

In addition, another installation related to heat pump systems in the global factories followed the first being at Fukuroi Minami in 2011 and then the Hamakita facility in 2013.

The subsequent year the Yamaha Motor Group installed its third heat pump-type heating system at the Chennai plant.

Yamaha further plans to extend the installation of heat pump systems at other factories in Japan and in other overseas locations going forward. The company claims the Group’s CO2 emissions have reduced to 557,000 t-CO2 in 2015 from 619,000 t-CO2 in 2013 a 10 percent reduction. On a per vehicle basis, the company has been able to cut CO2 emissions by 27 percent in 2015 against 2013.

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