The 5.8MW array is estimated to generate more than 30% of the Engine Manufacturing Centre’s energy requirements and reduce the facility’s CO2 footprint by more than 2,400 tonnes per year.

According to the company, the solar array has helped the new facility achieve BREEAM’s ‘Excellent’ rating for the design stage of the assessment for sustainable buildings, with plans in place to increase the array to more than 6.3MW by the end of the year.

Jaguar Land Rover’s operations director for the new Engine Manufacturing Centre, Trevor Leeks, said: “Our world-class facility showcases the latest sustainable technologies and innovations.

“The completion of the UK’s largest rooftop solar panel installation here at the Engine Manufacturing Centre is just one example of this,” added Leeks.

The Centre is the first new plant that Jaguar Land Rover has built from the ground up and represents an investment of more than £500m. It will also create almost 1400 new jobs by the time the plant reaches full capacity.

The world-class plant will manufacture the first family of premium, advanced technology engines, Ingenium, to be entirely designed and built in-house by Jaguar Land Rover for exclusive use in the company’s future vehicles. The Jaguar XE, debuting in 2015, will be the first vehicle equipped with these four-cylinder engines.

In addition to its solar installation, the facility uses energy efficient heating and lighting systems and energy monitoring facilities to reduce consumption.

The company also plans to develop an “ecological corridor” outside of the facility designed to encourage the natural movement of species from one side of the site to the other.

Last month, Jaguar Land Rover announced that it aims to create “opportunities for 12 million people around the world” by 2020 by creating a range of humanitarian, conservation, environmental and educational initiatives.

Leigh Stringer

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