Skoda Volkswagen Sets into Operation 18.5 MW Rooftop Solar at Pune Facility

Skoda Auto Volkswagen India has announced the installation of 18.5 MW rooftop solar at its Chakan plant in Pune. The group now says that the new rooftop solar facility will be generating about 26.6 million kWh of green energy per year.

The solar installation is in line with the ‘goTOzero’ mission of the Volkswagen Group. The solar power will help the German automaker move away from fossil fuel based power and get it closer to its global target of carbon neutrality at all its sites by 2030.

The 18.5 MW is expected to cover about 30 per cent of the Chakan Plant’s annual electricity demand. The solar facility will help reduce the CO2 emissions of Volkswagen emanating from car manufacturing at the site by about 28 per cent annually.

Piyush Arora, Managing Director and CEO, Skoda Auto Volkswagen India said “As India sets its sights on a greener future, with renewable energy and reduced carbon emissions at the forefront, we are proud to play our part in this transition. The inauguration of one of the automotive industry’s largest solar-power rooftop at our Pune plant is a testament to the Volkswagen Group’s commitment to ‘goTOzero’ and our efforts towards a carbon-neutral future.”

He said that this milestone comes close on the heels of our Aurangabad facility switching to 100 percent Green Energy recently. In November 2022, the Aurangabad facility started to run100 per cent on green energy three years ahead of the original target of Volkswagen Group. “These initiatives are in continuation of our holistic approach towards decarbonisation, resource efficiency and sustainable production,” added Arora.

The Aurangabad production site is anticipated to reduce CO2 by 48% annually as a result of this switch to renewable energy.

The Volkswagen Group intends to be net carbon neutral by 2050.  Volkswagen had announced last December about its plan to set up one of the largest rooftop solar systems of the country in the Chakan facility. The company was then held to have partnered with Amp Energy to install 25,770 solar panels.