French engine maker Safran is progressing on its goal of reducing its carbon footprint by partnering with solar energy companies RĂ©servoir Sun and Idex to install solar panels at 17 of its locations in France.
The photovoltaic (PV) arrays—which will be installed primarily on vehicle shade structures in parking lots—will cover approximately 1.9 million sq ft and will generate 39-gigawatt hours annually for use at the facilities, making up an average of 15 percent of its yearly requirement.
Installation will begin with the company’s nacelles industrial unit in Gonfreville-l’Orcher, which is first in line to receive the modification in June. The first phase of installations is expected to be wrapped up by 2025 and, when completed, the planned array at Safran’s aircraft engines plant near Paris will be one of the largest self-consumption PV systems at any industrial site in the country.
The company intends to extend the program to another 40 of its sites in France in the second phase of the program. Safran is also looking at its international operations with installations completed or expected at its sites in Australia, Belgium, China, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Singapore, Thailand, Tunisia, and the UK.
Overall, the French OEM is committed to reducing its Scope I (direct) and Scope II (indirect) emissions by more than 50 percent by 2030 (using 2018 as the baseline).
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