Energy Efficiency, Commercial, Solar, Sourcing Renewables  -  June 15, 2016

Onsite solar will provide 25% of Toyota's electric demand at new HQ

New details emerged June 14 about the 7.75-MW solar energy system to be installed at Toyota Motor Corp.'s new, energy-conscious North American headquarters in Texas.

Among them, an estimate that the solar power will provide 25% of the Toyota campus' total electric demand and become the largest  corporate office onsite project in the state among nonutility companies, according to a news release from Toyota and the system's developer, SunPower Corp.  

The project will be comprised of three solar carport structures using high efficiency solar panels. Two of the carports will each have a 2.45-MW capacity, and are expected to be operational by midyear 2017, the companies said. The third, 2.83-MW solar carport is expected to be delivering power to the Toyota campus by the end of 2017.

The information follows an announcement Smart Energy Decisions reported June 8 about Toyota's retail electricity supply contract for the campus, which included provisions for both onsite and offsite renewable power. 

Toyota says the solar installation is just one of a range of energy efficient technologies and sustainable materials to be integrated into the design of its state-of-the-art campus, with the intention of achieving Platinum LEED Certification for the facility from the U.S. Green Building Council. 

"We are dedicated to making sure our new headquarters campus supports — even redefines — Toyota's commitment to the environment,"Kevin Butt, regional director with Toyota's North American Environmental Division said in a statement. "The Plano solar system will not only reduce our environmental footprint and educate team members about renewable energy, it moves us closer to Toyota's 2050 global environmental challenge to eliminate carbon emissions in all operations."

This is not Toyota's first project with SunPower. In 2008, at the Toyota North American parts center in Ontario, Calif., the solar company installed a 2.3-MW system that produces more than 3.7 million kilowatt hours per year, which the company says provides up to 58% of the electricity needed at the facility. In 2009, SunPower installed a 1.5 MW solar power system at a Toyota site in West Caldwell, N.J. 

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