- Nissan's Intelligent Mobility vision takes major step forward with solar power added to Nissan's UK Plant, home of the all-electric Nissan LEAF
- 19,000 solar panels join 10 wind turbines, saving the equivalent of 3,000 tons CO2 and generating enough power to build more than 31,000 cars every year
- Sunderland Plant celebrating 30th anniversary in 2016
SUNDERLAND, UK – Nissan has switched on a new solar farm at its biggest manufacturing site in Europe, the latest landmark in the company's journey towards Intelligent Mobility.
Made of up 19,000 photo-voltaic panels, the new 4.75MW facility is now fully operational at Nissan Sunderland Plant, as Nissan strives towards its twin goals of zero emissions and zero fatalities.
The solar farm has been installed alongside 10 wind turbines already generating clean power for Nissan in Sunderland, the European center of production for the all-electric Nissan LEAF and its batteries.
Colin Lawther, Nissan's Senior Vice President for Manufacturing, Purchasing and Supply Chain Management in Europe, said: "Renewable energy is fundamental to Nissan's vision for Intelligent Mobility. We have built over 50,000 Nissan LEAFs in Europe, and the industry-leading new 250km-range LEAF is now available. With 10 wind turbines already generating energy for our Sunderland plant, this new solar farm will further reduce the environmental impact of Nissan vehicles during their entire lifecycle."
Nissan began integrating renewable energy sources in Sunderland in 2005 when the company installed its first wind turbines on site. These 10 wind turbines contribute 6.6MW power, with the 4.75MW solar farm bringing the total output of renewables to 11.35MW in Sunderland. This equates to 7 percent of the plant's electricity requirements, enough to build the equivalent of 31,374 vehicles.
The solar farm has been developed and installed within the loop of Nissan's vehicle test track in Sunderland by partner company European Energy Photovoltaics, with 100 percent of the electricity generated to be used by Nissan.
Its installation comes as Nissan celebrates its 30th anniversary of manufacturing in the UK, having become the biggest UK car plant of all time and now supporting nearly 40,000 jobs in Britain in vehicle design, engineering, production, parts distribution, sales and marketing, dealer network and supply chain.
Pursuing a goal of zero emission vehicles and zero fatalities on the road, Nissan's Intelligent Mobility vision is designed to guide Nissan's product and technology pipeline, anchoring critical company decisions around how cars are powered, how cars are driven, and how cars integrate into society.
Breakthrough initiatives recently announced concerning electric vehicles and next generation battery technology include:
- A future generation of electric vehicle batteries for the UK battery plant.
- A major vehicle-to-grid trial in the UK in partnership with energy provider Enel that will see Nissan electric vehicles supplying the UK's National Grid with an efficient and flexible source of energy. A trial of 100 vehicle-to-grid units will commence in the UK later this year. It will enable Nissan electric vehicle owners to give energy from their vehicle's battery back to the UK grid, providing a cost effective, sustainable and reliable source of power, while helping consumers save and make money.
- A revolutionary new residential energy storage system called xStorage developed alongside Eaton, the global leaders in power management. The system will not only give Nissan electric vehicle batteries a "second life," but will also provide customers with a fully integrated energy storage solution that will put energy management and distribution back in the hands of the consumer.
- Confirmation that Nissan will integrate V2G technology and energy storage solutions into all of its major European offices by the end of 2017.
About Nissan in the UK
- One in three cars built in the UK is made by Nissan
- Sunderland Plant currently employs more than 6,700 people
- Nissan designs, engineers and build vehicles in the UK through its European Design Centre in Paddington, Technical Centre in Cranfield and manufacturing plant in Sunderland
- Vehicles manufactured in the UK include the Nissan Qashqai, Juke, Note, all-electric LEAF and Infiniti Q30
- When Infiniti production started in 2015, it was the first new brand to be launched in the UK car industry for 23 years
About Nissan in Europe
Nissan has one of the most comprehensive European presences of any overseas manufacturer, employing more than 17,600 staff across locally based design, research & development, manufacturing, logistics and sales & marketing operations. In 2014 Nissan plants in the UK, Spain and Russia produced more than 675,000 vehicles including award-winning crossovers, small cars, SUVs, commercial vehicles and electric vehicles, including the Nissan LEAF, the world's most popular electric vehicle with 96 percent of customers willing to recommend the car to friends. Nissan now offers a strong line-up of 23 diverse and innovative models in Europe under the Nissan and Datsun brands.
About Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Nissan is a global full-line vehicle manufacturer that sells more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. In fiscal year 2014, the company sold more than 5.3 million vehicles globally, generating revenue of 11.3 trillion yen. Nissan engineers, manufactures and markets the world's best-selling all-electric vehicle in history, the Nissan LEAF. Nissan's global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan manages operations in six regions: ASEAN & Oceana; Africa, Middle East & India; China; Europe; Latin America and North America. Nissan has a global workforce of 247,500, and has been partnered with French manufacturer Renault under the Renault-Nissan Alliance since March 1999.
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Contact
Paul James
paul.james@nissan-nmuk.co.uk
0191 415 0000 (ext 4197) (Mob: 07814 851943 )