Volkswagen Africa is supersizing its solar PV power supply at its vehicle manufacturing facility in Kariega in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

ESIAfrica reports that the car manufacturer is adding another 3 MW of solar power, bringing the plant’s total solar power capacity to 5.9 MW.

VW Africa now operates more than 12 000 solar PV panels across its local operations, about 5 000 of which were recently installed in the employee car park.

It has invested a total of ZAR100 million in solar energy since 2018, increasing its renewable energy share from 1.5% in 2018 to 17.1% in 2023, with plans to add more panels in upcoming phases, according to Energy Capital and Power.

Production director Ulrich Schwarbe says the goal is for the plant to be a Zero Impact factory by 2030.

26 November 2024
Image: Volkswagen