Bridgestone’s first ground-based solar array directly powers the manufacturing process at the company’s Aiken County, South Carolina Passenger/Light Truck Tire Plant.
Bridgestone Americas announced its first ground-mounted solar array providing power directly to the manufacturing process. The new solar array is located at the company’s Aiken County, South Carolina, Passenger/Light Truck Tire Plant in Graniteville, South Carolina. The new installation includes approximately 8 acres of solar panels that generate 2.4 MW of energy.
“At Bridgestone, sustainability is core to our business and integrated into every level of our operation. Our global sustainability framework includes important goals in reducing CO2 emissions by 50% by 2030, as we strive toward our long-term environmental target of becoming carbon neutral by 2050,” said Paolo Ferrari, president & CEO, Bridgestone Americas, and executive VP and executive officer, Bridgestone Corporation. “This solar array is another positive step in Bridgestone’s journey to contribute to a more sustainable and equitable society for all.”
Solar Alliance Energy was the EPC for this project. It was the largest installation in the company’s history so far.
“Bridgestone has illustrated a clear commitment to reducing their carbon footprint and we were proud to work with them to achieve this goal,” said Solar Alliance CEO Myke Clark. “This project showcases the benefits of solar for large manufacturing companies like Bridgestone that are committed to renewable energy solutions that will benefit today’s and future generations. As Solar Alliance continues to grow, we are excited to work with companies like Bridgestone so they can realize significant electricity cost savings in addition to the clear environmental benefits. This project is representative of the size and quality of project we are targeting as we continue to grow our business.”
Consistent with Bridgestone’s commitment to protect the environment, the Aiken County Passenger Tire Plant sends zero operations waste to the landfill.
“Renewable energy has many benefits for the environment and Bridgestone, most notably the reduction in CO2 emissions and reduced energy costs,” said Jim DeMouy, VP of environment, health, safety and sustainability for Bridgestone Americas. “Bridgestone is grateful for the support of state and local leaders and community partners who worked with us to make this solar array a reality.”
The Aiken County Passenger Tire Plant was LEED certified by the U.S. Green Building Council and is a Certified Habitat by the National Wildlife Habitat Council. In addition, Bridgestone offers a variety of programs through its onsite learning center in Aiken County where it provides free community outreach and training as part of Bridgestone Environmental Education Program which has received state and national recognition.
The Aiken County Passenger Tire Plant has been honored by gaining membership to the South Carolina Environmental Excellence Program in July 2018 which required an extensive evaluation of the many deliberate efforts by the plant to promote environmental protection. Recently, the plant partnered with Clemson University, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to utilize its solar array as a pilot for the development of a sustainable ground covering utilizing native South Carolina plants to encourage native, low-maintenance biodiverse vegetation in and around solar arrays in the state.
Bridgestone has operated the Aiken County Passenger Tire Plant in Graniteville since 1998, producing passenger and light truck tires for original equipment manufacturers and retail.
News item from Bridgestone Americas. Updated and corrected to reflect the size of 2.4 MW instead of 2 MW.
Interesting, by manufacturing tires for vehicles from non-fueled generation, does this not reduce the carbon ‘footprint’ of the vehicle these tires are install on? By controlling energy costs the company now has less money spent on energy and more money for O&M, and costs tied to the operations like taxes, insurance, other utility bills, wages, benefits. When the economy takes a dip the energy savings can help the facility ride through low points in the economy and into the next expansion cycle.