SunPower’s construction on Toyota Motor North America's new headquarters in Plano, Texas has begun. The 8.79MW solar system, which the auto maker plans to occupy this year, is expected to be the Lone Star State's largest corporate office on-site solar installation among non-utility companies.
About 50 certified workers are now installing high-efficiency SunPower solar panels on steel carport structures across the top of four parking garages. When complete, more than 20,000 solar panels will cover the area equal to 10 football fields, offering shade and protection to vehicles underneath. The system is expected to generate enough clean energy to offset approximately 33 percent of the headquarters' energy needs, reducing Toyota's reliance on traditional electricity from the grid.
"We are excited to see this solar power project start to really take shape on our new headquarters campus," said Kevin Butt, regional director, North American Environmental Division, Toyota. "As a long-standing solar advisor, SunPower is helping us realize Toyota's 2050 global environmental challenge to eliminate carbon emissions in all operations."
Toyota is integrating a range of energy efficient technologies and sustainable materials into the design of its state-of-the-art campus, with the intention of achieving LEED® Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). SunPower's 20 percent efficient E-Series solar panels selected for this project are Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Silver, which may provide Toyota a significant advantage toward reaching that goal. SunPower is the only solar panel manufacturer in the world to achieve this certification, which demonstrates a product's quality based on rankings in five categories: material health, material reutilization, renewable energy use, water stewardship, and social fairness.
"We're proud to partner with Toyota on this innovative solar project as the company works to achieve its ambitious sustainability goals," said Nam Nguyen, SunPower senior vice president. "The unique long-span carport design will feature SunPower's high reliability solar panels that deliver 30 percent more electricity than conventional solar, optimizing Toyota's renewable energy investment."
As a result of 14 years of partnership, SunPower solar power systems are currently operating at a number of Toyota facilities in the U.S.:
- Since 2009, a 1.5MW SunPower solar power system has been operating at Toyota's facility in West Caldwell, New Jersey.
- In 2008, at the Toyota North American parts center in Ontario, California, SunPower installed a 2.3MW system that produces more than 3.7 million kilowatt hours per year, providing up to 58 percent of the electricity needed at the facility. At the time of completion, it was the second largest single-rooftop solar array in North America.
- Toyota's South Campus headquarters building in Torrance, California, was one of the largest privately funded systems of its kind when it opened in 2003. Also built by SunPower, the system covers 53,000 square feet of rooftop.
Toyota is financing the SunPower solar project installed at its Plano, Texas, location through a power purchase agreement (PPA) arranged by SunPower, which allows Toyota to buy power at competitive rates – acting as a hedge against future utility rate increases – with no upfront capital cost. Toyota will own the renewable energy credits associated with the system.
