BMW has completed the installation of solar panels to provide solar energy for Zentrum Museum in Greenville, SC.
In addition to the new solar panels they also installed three new electric vehicle charging stations throughout the main facility.
“Adding a new, alternative energy platform to our energy portfolio is another step in our commitment to sustainable methods of generating power at our factory,” said Duncan Seaman, Department Manager, Market OperationsUSA&Canada.
“It is the perfect complement to our existing landfill gas-to-energy and hydrogen fuel cell program and offsets the fossil fuel requirements otherwise needed to run our facility.”
All those 400 modules of solar panels, each capable of producing 240 watts of solar energy, provides power to the Zentrum Museum, as well as, the new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.
The solar panels, completed in partnership with Southern Energy Management, were installed in front of the Museum. BMW invested $500,000 in this solar panels installation and has SunStore Solar as consultant on this project.
Implementation of the program has reduced CO2 emissions by about 92,000 tons per year and saves about $5 million annually in energy costs.
More recently, the company announced the addition of a hydrogen storage and distribution center within their on-site 11 Megawatt Energy Center to facilitate on-site fueling of a hydrogen-fuel cell material handling fleet inside the 1.2 million square foot assembly plant that completes final assembly of the BMW X3 Sports Activity Vehicle.
The company also joins automakers like Ford Motor Co. and General Motors that have made efforts to cut waste and energy usage at their facilities using solar energy.
