Honda offsets factory impact by building Wind Farm
Honda, the first automotive manufacturer to build a Wind farm, goes ahead in Brazil
Honda always seem to be innovative and forward thinking in their approach to business and global responsibility. True to form they have begun construction of first Wind Farm to be built by an Auto/motorcycle manufacturer. Honda are building it in Brazil in order to generate enough renewable energy to power its annual local car and motorcycle production in its factory in Brazil.
SÃO PAULO, Brazil, October 29, 2013
Honda Energy do Brasil Ltda. (Honda Energy), Honda's wind power generation business subsidiary in Brazil, held a ceremony on October the 29th, joined by government and community officials to mark the start of construction of its new wind farm in the city of Xangri-lá in Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state in Brazil (approximately 1,000 km south of Honda's current automobile production plant in Sumaré, São Paulo). Honda Energy plans to begin the operation of its new wind farm in September 2014.
Aiming to be more proactive in using renewable energy to minimize the environmental footprint of its business activities, Honda will be the first automaker in Brazil to start a wind power generation business. The total investment for this wind power generation business is expected to be approximately 100 million Brazilian reais (approximately 4.3 billion yen).
Honda Energy's wind farm will be equipped with nine wind power turbine units, and it is expected to generate approximately 95,000 MWh of electricity per year, equivalent to Honda's current annual electricity needed for automobile/motorcycle production in Brazil (approximately 140,000 units).
By generating renewable energy to cover the electricity needed for the plant, Honda is expecting to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 2,200 t annually.
n conjunction with the ceremony, Honda Energy unveiled its company logo for the first time. The circular graphic represents the earth symbolizing sustainable nature, while the white line in the circle represents the movement of wind, which is necessary for wind power generation, as well as Honda's efforts for further environmental activities. The blue color of the logo represents blue skies (clean air) and clean water, which are essential for life.
Carlos Eigi, president of Honda Energy do Brasil Ltda commented:.
"Since Honda began local production in Brazil in 1976, Honda has been cooperating with the local community and striving to minimize the environmental footprint of our production activities. Wind power generation has proven to be very effective in reducing CO2 emissions, and I am very much pleased that we take one more step forward to utilize renewable energy with today's start of construction. Honda will continue to be proactive in pursuing environmental conservation activities in Brazil."
Go Honda!
Honda has set a target to reduce CO2 emissions from its global products by 30 percent by the end of 2020 compared to year 2000 levels. Striving to attain this goal, Honda has been strengthening its initiatives on a global basis to reduce CO2 emissions from all business activities, including production and the supply chain.
Some facts about Honda Energy do Brasil Ltda:
Established: March 21, 2013
President: Carlos Eig
Location: Xangri-lá city, Rio Grande do Sul State
Business Areas: Wind power generation business
Number of Wind Turbines: 9 units (1 unit: maximum output of 3 MW)
Generation Capacity: Maximum output of 27 MW (9 units total)
So it seems that Honda are taking their green responsibilities really seriously and putting their money where their mouth is - it is nice to see such a big company behaving ethically. Presumably the wind turbine energy will enable Honda to reduce their production costs as well as reducing their emissions so it's a win win for Honda and for the planet. Let's hope that this starts a trend and other manufacturers follow suit and then maybe there will be a planet left for our children to enjoy riding their motorcycles on!
Wemoto
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