A major car marque is stepping up solar production at its manufacturing plant in East London, South Africa.

Mercedes-Benz South Africa is investing ZAR100 million in Phase 2 of its solar power production, installing 22 847 solar PV panels, according to Engineering News. The plant manufactures the C-Class Mercedes-Benz for the local market and export.

By 2030, the local car maker plans to produce about 70% of its power requirements using renewable energy.

Phase 2 will cover five additional rooftops of the East London plant, expanding the footprint from 2 MWp by 12.6 MWp.

The total solar field size, when rolled out in Q1:2024, will feature 26 539 solar panels, equating to 14.6 MWp – in line with the plant’s maximum demand during any production day, according to MBSA.

5 December 2023
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