Panasonic factory employs solar PV

SINGAPORE: Over 10,000 Panasonic solar panels have been deployed at the company’s own hermetic refrigeration compressor factory in Singapore.

The total installation of 11,916 panels includes 10,124 Panasonic HIT solar panels, covering an area of more than 20,000m² across five factory buildings. The factories will begin drawing from the 2.4MW PV this year. At its peak, the factory’s PV system is expected to power, on average, 10% of its entire operations.

The system has been installed under a leasing agreement with Sunseap, a leading solar energy system developer, owner and operator in Singapore. Sunseap will bear both installation and maintenance costs of the project, and pass on cost savings to Panasonic through cheaper electricity rates compared to drawing from the grid.

Panasonic’s HIT panels are said to be able to maintain high performance at high temperature, making them ideal for utilisation in tropical climates. The panels are manufactured at Panasonic Energy Malaysia.

Atsunao Terasaki, managing director, Panasonic Appliances Refrigeration Devices Singapore, said, “As one of Panasonic’s eco model factories in Southeast Asia, PAPRDSG’s focus has long been to ensure that we adopt green manufacturing practices and work towards environmental sustainability. We recognise that industries are huge consumers of energy. Through our solar leasing collaboration with Sunseap, we not only hope to reduce carbon footprint, but also drive uptake of solar energy in businesses and industries.”

Panasonic Appliances Refrigeration Devices Singapore was established in 1972, manufacturing inverter compressors for fridges, water coolers and vending machines.