Hyundai Motor To Build Solar Power Panels On The Roof Of Asan Plant

Hyundai Motor Company is the largest automaker in South Korea, and they have just announced a project befitting their size.

They will be installing the largest rooftop photovoltaic power plant on the roof of their manufacturing factory in Asan.

Their goal is to make use of renewable energy and reduce their carbon footprint.

The electricity produced by the solar modules at the Asan plant will be purchased by Korea Electric Power Corporation -KEPCO who will then sell it in the surrounding areas.

Hyundai will work in conjunction with Korea Midland Power Co., Ltd., a thermal power company, and will install somewhere in the region of 40,000 solar photovoltaic modules on the rooftops of several different building in the plant before the year is out.

The modules will take up as much as 68% of the 213,000 square meter roof space, with the expected peak capacity to be around 10 MW.

That level of capacity will allow the plant to supply up to 11.5 million KWh of electricity annually, which is enough to power a steady supply of electricity to 3,200 homes.

All of the modules will be built on existing rooftops at the Asan plant, which means no need for any new construction that might cause environmental issues.

It seems only fitting that the Asan plant should be the one to get the modules, since that is where the eco-friendly Hyundai Sonata Hybrid is manufactured.

In order for the 11.5 million KWh of electricity to be produced, a thermoelectric power plant would have to release 5,600 tons of carbon dioxide, which can be totally avoided by using the photovoltaic power that will be in place at the Asan plant.

To put it in perspective, the removal of 5,600 tons of carbon dioxide emissions is the same as 1.12 million pine trees being added to the environment.

As if that were not enough, the plant will also employ sprinklers to cool the solar modules, which will also help cool the interior of the building during the hot summer months.