Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has reached a significant milestone in the roll-out of its global renewable energy strategy with the opening of a new solar farm at its Gaydon headquarters. The 26 hectare, 18MW facility will supply up to 31% of the site’s energy requirements, marking the completion of the first of three of its UK solar energy projects.
The company has also planted native wildflowers beneath and between the groundmounted panels — and is restoring hedgerows with bird- and pollinator-friendly species and so targeting ‘a biodiversity uplift well above mandated levels’.
Meanwhile, a newly expanded rooftop installation at the company’s Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre (EPMC) in Wolverhampton (UK), is due to be completed this autumn. It will feature over 18,000 solar panels, making it the largest automotive manufacturing rooftop solar array in the UK. The additional 10.7MW system will generate about 9,512MWh of electricity annually; the combined solar capacity will meet nearly 40% of the site’s energy needs, supporting the production of electric drive units and batteries for its next-generation vehicles.
Solar walkwaysAnother development for 2026 will see JLR begin installing over 10MW of solar car ports at its Merseyside site, making it the largest solar car port in the UK. Current plans include canopy structures across Halewood, with solar walkways from the main car parks to the site entrances, giving both employees and visitors access to electric-vehicle (EV) charging facilities while on the premises, as well as sheltered parking and protection against weather conditions.
The company says it is committed to sourcing at least one third of its global energy needs from on-site and near-site renewables as alternatives to natural gas by 2030. To date, JLR has already achieved a 23.4% reduction in operational emissions compared to FY19/20 location-based baseline through energy switching and efficiency measures.
Andrea Debbane, JLR’s chief sustainability officer, said: “JLR is proud to have delivered these renewable energy milestones. They are important because they directly reduce our global operational emissions and help move us closer to our ‘net zero’ goal. The delivery of our self-generated renewable energy projects is part of our strategic shift to gain greater control over our energy mix against a backdrop of uncertainty — reducing our reliance on volatile markets and global grid infrastructure.”