Nissan Expanding Renewable Power at U.K. Factory

Nissan will embark on an extensive expansion of its renewable energy generation as further commitment to its U.K. production capacity.

Its plant at Sunderland in the northeast of England will see its existing wind turbines and solar farm complemented by a proposed 20-megawatt solar farm extension as the automaker moves toward achieving its professed aim of carbon neutrality by 2050.

If approved by regulatory bodies, the 37,000-panel extension would result in 20% of the plant’s energy coming from onsite renewables, enough to build every Nissan Leaf sold in Europe to date.

Nissan began integrating renewable energy sources in Sunderland in 2005 when the company installed its first wind turbines on site. The 10 turbines contribute 6.6 megawatts of power, with the existing 4.75-megawatt solar farm installed in 2016. The proposed 20-megawatt solar farm extension would raise the plant’s total renewables output to 32 megawatts.

Alan Johnson, vice president-manufacturing at Nissan Sunderland, says: “Renewables have already made a big difference to our business and we continue to look for ways to make the manufacturing process more sustainable. As our products made in Sunderland become increasingly electrified, our manufacturing operations are an important part of the ecosystem that will take us to carbon neutrality.”