Vitesco Technologies Commissions Landmark Solar Energy Project

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Mar 05, 2024, 09:00 ET

12-acre, 4,800 panel solar farm now operational at the company's Seguin, Texas auto manufacturing location.
Sustainability project expected to provide more than 10% of the annual energy consumption of the company's largest North American manufacturing facility.
Partnership between Vitesco Technologies, equipment operator Big Sun Solar and Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative (GVEC) creates one of the first three-party energy purchase agreements in Texas.

SEGUIN, Texas, March 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Vitesco Technologies, a leading international provider of modern powertrain technologies and solutions for electromobility, commissioned a major solar sustainability project developed at its Seguin, Texas manufacturing plant. The project is believed to be unique in Texas representing a three-party power purchase agreement between Vitesco Technologies, San Antonio-based equipment provider Big Sun Solar and the Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative (GVEC).

The solar project is built on 12 acres adjacent to the Vitesco Technologies manufacturing facility in Seguin supporting the company's role as a leading international supplier of modern drive systems and electrification solutions for sustainable mobility. Through the power purchase agreement, Big Sun Solar builds, owns and operates the solar project, and Vitesco Technologies purchases from GVEC the electricity generated to offset its energy consumption.

The 2.6MWdc project is expected to generate roughly 4,800 megawatt hours per year through 4,800 solar panels, which use trackers to follow the sun's changing position throughout the day. That will account for about 13 percent of Vitesco Technologies' annual energy consumption at the Seguin facility. This is enough energy to power 330 Texas homes (avg. 1,800 square feet) per year and to reduce emissions equivalent to removing nearly 600 cars from the road for a year.

"Powering clean mobility is our mission, and that certainly includes taking responsible actions supporting our manufacturing processes to reduce the environmental effects of the automotive industry," said Dr. Hans-Juergen Braun, global head of Operations for Vitesco Technologies. "This solar energy project owes its success to the dedication and vision of our team in Seguin as well as our partners with Big Sun and the GVEC. These initiatives and opportunities are driving our global footprint toward success and growth not only benefitting our company, but also our employees, shareholders, business partners and world as a whole."

In addition to the solar panel program in Seguin, Vitesco Technologies previously completed a solar sustainability project at its manufacturing site in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico in January of 2023. A total of 1,200 solar panels were installed at the plant, preventing the emission of 480 tons of CO₂ into the atmosphere each year and generating the equivalent of 6.6% of the 15 GWh that the plant requires in total for its operations.

SOURCE Vitesco Technologies