63,000

square metres of roof area

25,770

photovoltaic modules

12.2 

million kWh of electricity per year

9,000 

tonnes of CO2 emissions saved a year

Green energy for India

Pune plant is now equipped with a huge rooftop solar power station

T

KODA AUTO wants to be carbon-neutral in India from the second half of this decade. An important step towards this goal is the construction of one of SAVWIPL’s largest rooftop solar power stations. Composed of highly efficient semi-crystalline modules, the installation was put into operation in December in cooperation with energy infrastructure partner Amp Energy. The power station reaches a maximum output of 8.5 megawatt and covers up to 15 percent of the factory’s annual electricity consumption. Photovoltaic panels placed on the roof of the Body Shop compound also reduce the direct radiation of heat from sunlight coming into the shops.

By commissioning the new rooftop solar power station in Pune,

we’re contributing to permanent sustainable development and

demonstrating our sense of responsibility.

“By putting the solar power system into operation at our plant in Pune, we are reinforcing our commitment and making an important contribution to the sustainable ecological future of our company. We plan to implement additional environmentally friendly projects in the future to actively ensure that India contributes to reducing CO2 emissions worldwide”, said Gurpratap Boparai, the CEO of SAVWIPL. In addition to reducing its carbon footprint, the carmaker in India is focusing on sustainable development, the environmentally sound management of resources and efficient cost optimisation. In Pune, for example, it is making efforts so that no future waste from the factory ends up in landfills. RED

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Oxygen for a growing city

First Oxygen Park built in Aurangabad, India

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n 9 December, ŠKODA AUTO Volkswagen India Private Limited (SAVWIPL) opened a park near the production plant to help with the natural production of oxygen and to improve air quality. The area is densely planted with over 15,000 trees of suitable local species, such as fig trees, nimtrees and rosewood. When they are fully grown, they will generate 1,950 tonnes of oxygen and process 360 tonnes of CO2 every year. The residents of the fast-growing city will also be using the park for leisure activities, for example to take walks among the trees next to the pavements that are illuminated by solar-powered street lamps. The park also motivates the city’s inhabitants to engage in other similar activities. 

The project contributes to SAVWIPL’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality and improve the environment. Further steps include the recently launched cooperation with an organisation dedicated to protecting India’s coastal mangrove areas. Last year, the carmaker also initiated a programme for local farmers that instructs them in sustainable water and soil management by reviving traditional farming methods. RED