Shell to Generate 7500 MWh Solar Power From new Rooftop Plants

Shell will be installing rooftop solar plants on seven of its plants in India, China, Italy, Singapore and Switzerland, which will generate 7,500 MWh of power annually.

Lubricants major Shell has announced that it will be installing rooftop solar plants on the roofs of seven of its plants in India, China, Italy, Singapore and Switzerland, which would generate 7,500 MWh of power annually.

The panels can result in the avoidance of greenhouse gas emissions of about 4,500 tonnes on a CO2-equivalent basis per year, equivalent to taking about 2,600 cars off the road for one year, a statement by the company said.

Combined, they are expected to generate over 7,500 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity a year, it added.

In India, it said, the panels will be installed at the company’s lubricants plant in Taloja, Maharashtra. The company will work with Cleantech Solar for the installation of about 1,700 panels, which is expected to generate 683 MWh of electricity annually, and can result in the avoidance of 500 tonnes of annual GHG emissions.

As for the funding model for the Taloja solar panels, Shell has signed a subsidy-free purchase power agreement with Cleantech Solar. As part of the agreement, Cleantech Solar will design, build, finance, own, operate and maintain the solar facility for the Taloja plant in India.

Shell acquired a 49 percent equity stake in Cleantech Solar, a developer, owner, and operator of commercial and industrial solar energy systems in Southeast Asia and India.

“Using solar energy to help power our lubricant plants enables us to reduce the carbon intensity in our lubricants supply chain,” said Richard Jory, Shell’s vice-president, Lubricants Supply Chain.

Jory further said, “Every industry has to do its part in developing cleaner ways of working and this is part of our commitment to run a safe, efficient, responsible and profitable business.”

The solar energy generated will be used to help power operations at these lubricant plants, lowering operating costs in the long run and reducing reliance on the grid. All panels will be installed by the end of 2019. Shell is looking to expand the use of solar panels in other lubricant plants around the world.