Toyota Australia has invested in solar power generation for its newest and largest parts warehouse in Australia covering the roof of the newly constructed centre with a 605kW solar array.
Altogether the solar panels can generate 874MWh per annum which takes Toyota another step forward to getting the site to zero emission by 2020. The system consists of 2200 Kyocera solar panels and 10 50kW ABB inverters.
In the last six months since the solar panels and system were installed by Epho, more than 330,000-kilowatt hours have been generated. This equates to the same amount of electricity generated that is needed to power 75 four-person households.
Before the Toyota Parts Centre (TPC) officially opens in November the power generated so far has been used on site with a small amount fed back into the electricity grid. It is estimated this move has prevented 83,500 tonnes of coal being burnt which would release more than 250 tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
The current solar system is expected to be expanded from mid-2019 once the exact requirement to achieve zero emissions is determined.
The TPC has been designed to 5 star Green Star performance standards with other environmental features including rainwater tanks for irrigation and toilets, LED sensor lights and a design with specific building materials, and features including the orientation of the building that ensures maximum natural cooling.
Toyota will also trial the use of hydrogen-powered fuel cell forklifts, the first used outside of Japan, with the long-term goal being that the hydrogen will be generated using renewable energy from the warehouse’s solar array.
This all works in with the Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050 which is a plan to achieve a sustainable society and consists of six challenges regarding global environmental issues. The challenges identified include climate change, water shortages, resource depletion and biodiversity loss.
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