Major solar array to power Toyota NZ logistics hub

Toyota New Zealand has installed one of the country’s largest rooftop solar systems at its national logistics hub in Palmerston North.
almerston North.

The solar array sits atop the company’s 35,000m² warehouse and National Customer Centre (NCC) and has a generation capacity of nearly 700 kilowatts.

Toyota says the system is expected to produce the equivalent of around 60% of the site’s electricity needs. During periods of peak sunshine, excess power will be exported to the local network, enough to supply up to 35 Palmerston North homes over the course of a year.

Toyota New Zealand chief risk and value chain officer Mark Young says sustainability has been a key focus for the facility, which was expanded in 2018 to the size of five rugby fields.

“We’re committed to making a positive impact on the environment from our NCC operations and renewable energy is a strong focus,” Young says.

“We’re incredibly proud of the solar array going atop the building and the benchmark this will set for future Toyota developments in New Zealand. Already 11 of 63 Toyota Stores have installed solar power on their roofs.”

The system is expected to generate about 921 megawatt hours of electricity annually – enough to power about 132 homes each year – while avoiding roughly 93 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

Toyota says the panels have been designed for durability and are expected to continue producing more than 90% of their original capacity after 30 years of operation.

The scale of the installation means the building will generate more electricity than it consumes during peak sunshine hours. On a typical summer day, the solar array is expected to produce surplus electricity between 6am and 6pm, while winter generation peaks between 9am and 4pm.

Around 350MWh of excess power a year is expected to be fed back into the local electricity network.

Young says the project also makes strong financial sense.

“While we have made a substantial upfront capital investment, the panels will reduce the average monthly electricity bill by around 50%,” he says.

“We expect to have a total return on investment of more than 600% over the life of the panels.”

Based on the centre’s historical energy consumption, Toyota estimates the solar system will pay for itself in just over five years.