While many of us use our Land Rovers to go off-grid into the far beyond, JLR is going off-grid in another way, with new solar facilities at and near their factories in the UK. The new energy facilities will make enough electricity to power 44,500 UK homes a year.
JLR's green strategy doesn't just extend to the vehicles themselves, as Jaguar goes all-EV and Land Rover goes heavy on electrification. It also means that they're focused on reducing emissions in the supply chain, including at the last stages at their factories. These extensive solar facilities will massively increase their self-generated power capacity.
The program will start with the key UK sites, starting with three facilities: the Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque factory at Halewood, the Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Center in Wolverhampton (which also makes internal combustion engines), and the corporate headquarters at Gaydon. The intent is to complete installation at these three facilities by 2026.
The installations will include all sorts of panels: roof-mounted, ground-mounted, and solar carports. At peak, the project will produce 120 Megawatts of power—enough to power 44,500 homes or charge 2.7 million Jaguar I-PACE batteries annually. Of course, this is Britain, where the sun can vanish for days on end, so every facility remains fully connected to the main power grid as a backup.
These solar projects will eventually cover about 40% of the needs at these sites at peak power production, and JLR's goal is to produce 36.4% of its energy through self-generated means by 2030. Its emissions in 2023 were already 23% lower than those in 2020, so it is making good strides on its green goals.
The project has environmental benefits but also helps isolate JLR from volatile utility prices. After the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, energy prices in Britain massively spiked as Russian fuel sources were massively reduced—exacerbating other existing energy shortages. The impact has been huge in the country, larger than energy cost issues that have impacted us here in North America. By being more self-sufficient, JLR is building a bulwark to protect itself should unforeseen circumstances like we've experienced the past few years happen again.
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