Catching some rays

Hyundai Motor Company, South Korea’s largest automaker, has announced that it will install the nation’s largest rooftop photovoltaic power plant at its factory in Asan, Korea, to expand its use of renewable energy and to help reduce global warming.

Working with Korea Midland Power, a thermal power company, Hyundai plans to install around 40 000 solar photovoltaic modules on the rooftops of Asan’s press, welding, assembly and engine buildings by the end of this year. And, as 100 percent of the photovoltaic plant will be built on existing rooftops, the construction does not require any additional land and will not create other environmental issues.

The 213 000 m² area, to be equipped with the modules, accounts for 68 percent of the total roof space, with the peak capacity of the combined modules predicted to reach 10 megawatts.

This capacity will enable the plant to supply 11,5 million kW of electricity per year, which equates to a stable supply of electricity for up to 3 200 households.

To produce the same amount of electricity, a thermoelectric power plant releases 5 600 tonnes of carbon dioxide, which can be offset by planting 1,12 million pine trees, or by using the photovoltaic power plant.

Korea Electric Power aims to do just that as the company will purchase electricity produced by the solar modules at Hyundai’s Asan plant and sell it to nearby areas, including Asan city.