Toyota Invests in Solar Energy

Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Alabama is installing 3.3-acres of solar arrays — the largest solar array built to date in Madison County. The $2.7 million investment will generate 1.6 megawatts of energy and reduce CO2 emissions at the engine plant by 1,732 metric tons annually. The project is expected to be complete this December.

The Huntsville project is part of a Toyota initiative to invest $9.3 million to add 10.8 acres of new solar arrays across the company’s plants in Alabama, Missouri and West Virginia. These arrays will generate 4.95 megawatts of energy and reduce CO2 emissions at the plants by 4,304 metric tons annually. Once online, all of these solar arrays will offset 6,480,000 kWh energy — the equivalent of powering nearly 800 homes per year.

“Toyota continuously looks for new ways to reduce water usage, recycle materials and conserve energy, and we are proud to add solar panels to our line-up of best practices,” said Kevin Bell, Toyota Motor North America energy manager.

The solar array at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, West Virginia, in Buffalo, will be comprised of 6 acres and is expected to generate 2.6 megawatts of solar energy and offset CO2 emissions by 1,822 metric tons annually. It is a $4.9 million investment that is expected to be complete in March 2021.

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At Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Missouri, the solar array in Troy will span 1.5 acres and generate 0.75 megawatts of energy, reducing CO2 emissions at the plant by 750 metric tons. The $1.7 million investment is expected to be complete in January 2021.

One of the company’s largest engine plants globally, the Alabama plant has expanded five times, a $1.2 billion investment. The four-cylinder, V-6 and V-8 engines made at the plant go into a third of the Toyota vehicles produced in North America. It is the only Toyota plant globally to produce all three levels of engines.

The latest expansion in Huntsville is a $288 million investment that will add two new production lines, increasing annual engine capacity to 900,000 and add 450 more jobs by the end of 2021. The new 4-cylinder and V-6 engine lines also require an expansion of the plant’s building. Once complete, the plant is expected to employ 1,800 team members.

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