Toyota is increasingly producing its own clean electricity: At the location of its European headquarters in Brussels, the automobile manufacturer has now put a new wind turbine and a solar system with 1,400 modules into operation. They supply the headquarters with the power of nature.
Toyota Motor Europe (TME) is the first company in the Brussels region to have its own wind turbine installed on its premises. With a capacity of 10 kW, the system can generate up to 24 MWh of electricity per year. The wind turbine has the latest technologies: While the vertical blades ensure efficient use regardless of the wind direction, the innovative “owl wing” surface ensures low-noise operation. At a height of only 23 meters, the wind turbine also does not get in the way of the aircraft at the nearby Zaventem airport.
The 1,400 photovoltaic modules installed on the roof of the Toyota After Sales Center provide additional clean energy for the Brussels location. They can produce a peak output of 460 kWp and are expected to generate 360 MWh of electricity per year.
In Europe, Toyota now relies entirely on renewable energies in all business areas. The two new plants in Brussels are following the company’s strategy of producing more and more green electricity themselves. For example, solar roofs and walls generate electricity for vehicle production in England and France, while the logistics center in Zeebrugge, Belgium is supplied with locally generated wind power. Thanks to the latest initiatives, TME will be able to generate more than ten percent of its electricity needs locally.
In addition, the energy efficiency of the European Toyota facilities has been extensively improved over the past five years – including the installation of LED lighting, the renewal of air conditioning and a new building management. Overall, this reduced electricity consumption by 35 percent from 5 GWh to 3.3 GWh per year.
