- New 2.1 MWp rooftop array marks ten years of solar power at Bentley Motors’ ‘dream factory’
- The last five years have seen the 3ti team provide Bentley with a solar car park and pop-up EV charging hub; work now starts on a new rooftop solar project
- Total size of solar arrays at Bentley Motors’ Crewe factory will be over 60,000 m2
- On completion, Bentley’s total generation capacity will rise to 10 MW of power, 100% of which will be used on-site to power up to 75 % of the plant’s daytime electricity needs
Leatherhead, 22 June 2023 – Today marks the beginning of the latest solar installation at Bentley Motors carbon neutral ‘dream factory’ in Crewe, where the UK’s leading solar provider, 3ti, will install a 2.1 MWp rooftop-mounted solar array spanning ten buildings. The announcement is part of Bentley’s ‘Beyond 100’ strategy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 and coincides with the 10th anniversary of the first solar panels at the Pym’s Lane site.
Members of the team at 3ti have worked closely with this luxury car brand for over five years, having installed a 10,000-panel solar car park at the factory in 2018. In December 2022, 3ti provided Bentley with its game-changing invention, ‘Papilio3’, a pop-up mini solar car park and electric vehicle (EV) charging hub. Crafted from a recycled shipping container, it provides solar-powered EV charging for up to 12 vehicles simultaneously at 7,11 or 22 kW. Bentley’s Papilio3 provides sustainable EV charging for staff and visitors free of charge.
Earlier this year, Bentley approached 3ti to manage the next step in its sustainability journey by adding new rooftop-mounted solar provision at its century-old factory. 3ti will expertly navigate multiple installations across various rooftop structures. Once operational in November, the new arrays will add more than two megawatts of energy generation at the site, taking the overall capacity of the 60,000 m2 of panels to over 10 MW; enough renewable energy to power up to 75 % of Bentley’s daytime electricity demands, reducing the equivalent CO2 emissions by 407,477 tonnes annually.
Andrew Troop, Sales Director at 3ti, said: “Bentley is an exemplar in pursuing bold end-to-end carbon neutrality targets and investing in clean, renewable solar energy. It long ago recognised the substantial contribution that solar can make now and into the future, and this latest installation signals Bentley’s commitment to achieving its sustainability goals.
“Alongside Bentley, we are now seeing organisations from all industries moving to renewables and investing in our three technology (“3t”) infrastructure to deliver a more sustainable, secure and cost-effective future. Any organisation with large car parks or rooftops has a potential power station that can be harnessed with our solar, battery and EV charging solutions.”
Sebastian Benndorf, Director of Production Planning at Bentley Motors, added: “The exciting addition of further solar panels at our Crewe headquarters supports Bentley’s ongoing commitment to its Beyond100 strategy to ensure the highest levels of luxury sustainable mobility. It is part of a vision to transform a 103-year-old luxury car company into a new, sustainable role model for the entire automotive industry.”
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Notes to Editors
About 3ti
3ti is the UK’s leading designer, installer, funder and operator of Solar Car Parks (SCPs). 3ti has a unique three technology (“3t”) approach to generating renewable energy from car parks.
By integrating local mains electricity with solar power, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and EV charge points, 3ti provides secure, consistent, clean solar energy for businesses whilst simultaneously providing low carbon, fast EV charging infrastructure for employees, suppliers, customers and the general public.
3ti is passionate about renewable energy and believes that providing low carbon EV charging infrastructure is the key to decarbonising the transport sector.
Solar energy from car parks is a low cost, low carbon and innovative way to power buildings and EV chargers, enabling customers to generate their own renewable energy and work towards achieving net zero emissions.
The 3ti team is responsible for the two largest SCPs in the UK, at Bentley Motors, Crewe and JP Morgan Chase, Bournemouth, is working on multi-site projects for the Ministry of Defence, and has already installed around 10 MWp of solar PV across some 2,500 parking spaces around the country.
About Bentley Motors
Bentley Motors is the most sought-after luxury car brand in the world. The company’s headquarters in Crewe is home to all of its operations including design, R&D, engineering and production of the company’s five model lines, Continental GT, Continental GT Convertible, Flying Spur, Bentayga and Bentayga EWB. The combination of fine craftsmanship, using skills that have been handed down through generations, alongside engineering expertise and cutting-edge technology is unique to UK luxury car brands such as Bentley. It is also an example of high-value British manufacturing at its best. Bentley employs around 4,000 people at Crewe.