Jaguar Land Rover will be relying on new onsite and near site renewable energy projects which will account for more than a quarter of its UK electricity needs.
The move is expected to slash energy bills and reduce the auto maker’s reliance on the national grid.
A number of new off-grid energy projects will produce almost 120 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy at their peak, enough to power nearly 44,500 homes or charge 2.7 million I-PACE batteries annually.
It comes as part of the company’s global renewable strategy, which aims to increase self-generated energy to 36.4% of its global consumption by 2030.
Central to these plans is the installation of a number of solar projects designed to maximise the unique qualities of each of Jaguar Land Rover’s global sites.
These will initially focus on key manufacturing and non-production locations in the UK, including its Halewood plant in Merseyside, the electric propulsion manufacturing centre in Wolverhampton, and its Gaydon headquarters.
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A mix of rooftop and ground-mounted panels, as well as solar car ports to power processes and electric car charging, will boost self-generated energy capability from solar by 16%. All sites will retain import grid connections to ensure security of supply.
Work is now underway to deliver these projects with the first three scheduled for completion by the end of 2026. Planning is already granted for an 18.2MW ground-mounted solar array at the company’s headquarters in Gaydon.
Combined with a roof-mounted solar array already onsite, the electricity generated will provide the facility with around 40% of its energy needs.
Self-generated solar capacity at the Wolverhampton facility will increase by 145%, following the expansion of existing rooftop arrays, which will generate enough power to cover 37% of the site’s total consumption.
It was recently announced that Jaguar Land Rover’s owner Tata is investing £4bn and creating 4,000 jobs as it builds the largest electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility in the UK.
