Installation started today at the Bentley Motors carbon neutral ‘dream factory’ in Crewe to increase the number of on-site panels to 36,418.

Quick Solar Highlights

• Work begins on next generation of solar panels at UK headquarters
• Installation will take the number of panels on the Crewe factory to 36,418
• Total area of 60,911 m2 – equal to nine football pitches
• Able to generate 10 MW of power in total – enough to power 2,370 homes per year
• Capable of delivering up to 75 per cent of the plant’s daytime electrical demand on average and can peak at 100 per cent
• Announcement is part of Bentley’s Beyond100 strategy to be end-to-end carbon neutral by 2030
• New panels installed in collaboration with 3ti – UK’s leading designer of solar car parks

10th Anniversary

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 60,911 m2 – the equal to nine football pitches or 311 tennis courts.

The additional state-of-the-art panels are highly efficient and produce nearly 60 per cent more power per panel as the original units, which date back to 2013. They will add another two megawatts to energy generation on the Bentley site, bringing a total of 10 MW of generation capacity. It is estimated that the combined systems with 36,418 solar panels will produce up to 75 per cent of Bentley’s daytime electricity demands on average, based on May 2023, and can peak at 100 per cent. 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 CO2 emissions by 407,477 tonnes per year.

Solar Panels harness the power of the sun

The installation on ten 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 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, added:

“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.”

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SolarEdge – Motorists will soon be able to charge their electric vehicles up to four times faster with the Australian release of the world’s first two-in-one solar inverter and EV charger.

SolarEdge, a global leader in smart energy, showcased its integrated EV charging solar inverter at the All Energy Australia conference in Melbourne, October 23-24.

The innovative design of the EV charging solar inverter enables faster charging through its solar boost mode, which allows simultaneous charging from grid and solar power.

SolarEdge Australia general manager Gavin Merchant said the two-in-one EV charger and solar inverter had the potential to advance the growing EV market, offering superior convenience, grid independence and cost benefits. “Embedding an EV charger in our solar inverter gives owners flexibility in how they charge their EVs and how fast they do it. Having the solar boost mode option offers huge peace of mind and convenience because you can effectively quarter typical charging times,” Mr Merchant said.

Charging using the solar-only option also had the added benefit of giving users more energy independence, enabling them to reduce power bills and their carbon footprints, he said. The two-in-one charger and inverter is compatible with multiple EVs and integrates with the SolarEdge monitoring platform, allowing users to control and track charging status and set charging schedules to take advantage of off-peak rates, all at the touch of their smart device.

Mr Merchant said SolarEdge’s market-leading technology could help to accelerate EV ownership in Australia. “With industry analysts expecting more new EVs to be sold globally than petrol and diesel cars in the next five to 10 years, we are heading towards a tipping point. As a result, our largest energy use in the home is going to be for EV charging.

Being able to use our EV charging solar inverter to power your car from solar gives consumers a more economic and greener option,” he said. The EV charging solar inverter is expected to be available in Australia by the end of 2019. The solution is also available as an EV-ready option for future EV purchases for PV system owners.

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