Installation has begun at the
Bentley Motors carbon-neutral ‘dream factory’ in Crewe to increase the number of on-site solar panels to 36,418. The announcement coincides with the 10th anniversary of the first solar panels at the Pyms Lane site, where all Bentley models are built. The solar panels cover an area of 60,911m
2 – the equal to nine football pitches or 311 tennis courts.
The additional ‘state of the art’ panels are highly efficient and produce nearly 60% more power per panel as the original units, which date back to 2013. They will add another 2MW to energy generation on the Bentley site — a total of 10MW of generation capacity. It is estimated that the combined systems with 36,418 solar panels will produce up to 75% of Bentley’s daytime electricity demands on average, based on May 2023 usage, and can peak at 100%. This is equivalent to the energy needed to power more than 2,370 homes per year. The new panels are due to be operational by November, reducing the equivalent CO
2 emissions by 407,477 tonnes per year.
The installation on 10 existing roof structures at the plant is just the latest phase in Bentley’s efforts to harness the power of the sun. In 2019, the UK’s largest solar-powered car port was installed at the Bentley site in Crewe. All electricity used to manufacture Bentley cars is solar, or certified green. The solar panels are being installed in collaboration with 3ti – the UK’s leading designer of solar car parks.
Sebastian Benndorf, director of production planning at Bentley Motors, said: “The exciting addition of further solar panels at our Crewe headquarters support Bentley’s ongoing commitment to its Beyond100 strategy, to ensure the highest levels of luxury sustainable mobility. It is part of a vision to transform a 103-year-old luxury car company into new, sustainable role model for the entire automotive industry.
“Beyond100 is the culmination of two decades of innovation and achievement. The transformation across Bentley’s entire operation and product range is gathering pace as we move towards end-to-end carbon neutrality by 2030.”