SEAT to Own Largest Photovoltaic Assembly Plant in Europe

SEAT rarely makes the front page of newspapers, but when it does, it announces something big. This time, the Spanish manufacturer stepped in front of the media to announce that it will be the owner of the largest rooftop photovoltaic facility in European car industry, with two plants being equipped with more than 20,000 photovoltaic panels producing 4 mW of power.

This means that the company will reduce CO2 emissions per year by 2,800 tonnes, while in the first year of full operation, it will generate more energy that was used during Christmas holidays by Madrid and Barcelona, as the company said in a release.

The so-called "SEAT in the SUN" project calls for a total of 20,000 solar panels that will be installed on a surface measuring 135,000 square meters that will produce 4 mW during the initial phase. However, new upgrades will be made in 2011 and 2012 to make the project the European car industry's largest photovoltaic facility.

"This project will enable the SEAT plant at Martorell to make a major contribution to protection of the environment while also reducing CO2 emissions by 2,800 tonnes per year –equivalent to the beneficial effect of more than one thousand hectares of forest," it said.

In just a few words, SEAT's programme is supposed to lead to the creation of six photovoltaic plants that will cover more than 320,000 square meters and thus generate more than 13 million kWh per year of clean electricity which, according to SEAT, is the equivalent of the electricity used by 3,000 Spanish houses. Furthermore, the SEAT facilities will reduce CO2 emissions by 6,200 tonnes.