Bentley Motors (www.bentleymotors.com) announced last month that construction has started on the UK’s largest-ever solar-powered car port at its headquarters in Crewe.

The installation of 10,000 solar panels (with a capacity of 2.7MW) will take about six months to complete; it follows the 20,815-panel roof-top installation completed in 2013.

Manufacturing director Peter Bosch said: “We continue to focus on 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.

“This solar installation is another example of how we can make our factory more sustainable by using technological innovation.

“It helps us to produce extraordinary cars with responsibly-sourced materials in an efficient manner, while continually striving to reduce the company’s environmental impact.”

The solar car port installation, which covers 1,378 car parking spaces and an area of 16,426m², will be operated by FlexiSolar. The project is backed by Innovate UK.

The announcement follows recent recognition that Bentley Motors has become the first UK automotive manufacturer to be awarded the Carbon Trust Standards for carbon, water and waste.