ŠKODA AUTO Volkswagen India Private Limited, a Czech Republic-based automobile company, has announced that it has commissioned 8.5 MW of solar rooftop systems at its manufacturing plant in Chakan, Pune.

The solar projects have been installed in partnership with renewable developer Amp Energy.

The carmaker said it has installed about 25,770 polycrystalline photovoltaic panels, and the installation will cover up to 15% of the site’s annual electricity requirements.

The wholly-owned subsidiary of the Volkswagen group added that the panels, which cover 63,000 square meters of roof space, are expected to generate a total of 12.2 million kWh of energy a year, aiding in reducing carbon dioxide emissions at the site by over 9,000 tons annually.

Last year, ŠKODA AUTO installed a 1 MW rooftop solar project at its production facility in Aurangabad, in the state of Maharashtra. The project was expected to generate 1,475 MWh of power per annum. The unique carport structure was to cover 30% of Skoda’s production facility’s annual energy consumption.

“We are pushing ahead with our target of achieving carbon-neutral production worldwide by 2030. By commissioning the new solar-power rooftop system at the Pune site, we are also setting an example for sustainability and a sense of responsibility in India,” said Michael Oeljeklaus, ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Production and Logistics.

Earlier, Mercom reported that solar carports demonstrate the potential to be a source of growth for the rooftop sector. Carports do not need any additional land and can be an efficient use of space for solar installations. India’s largest rooftop solar carport has been developed at Cochin International Airport by Tata Power Solar. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) also has a multi-level rooftop solar carport set up at Unity One Mall in Rohini, Delhi. The carport was commissioned on November 27, 2017, and is expected to offset 438 tons of carbon emissions annually.

Meanwhile, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) recently issued a tender for 100 kW of grid-connected rooftop solar projects to be installed under the CAPEX (capital expenditure) model at Pune Airport’s terminal building.