The Honda car manufacturing plant in Sumare, Sao Paulo will be powered by a nearby wind turbine farm located hundreds of miles to the south. The farm, located in Xangri-la, Brazil, contains a current total of 9 3MW wind turbines.
All of the wind turbines will be used to power the facility which has been used to manufacture Honda Civics and Honda Fits. This is all in line with the company’s new carbon emission reduction plan to reduce CO2 emissions by 30% by 2020.
This is not the first time that Honda has turned to renewable energy in the form of a wind turbine farm to cut down their annual carbon emissions. A Honda plant in Ohio has recently installed two wind turbines and the results have exceeded their expectations by 6.3%.
Wind turbine farm to reduce Honda’s CO2 emissions
It was originally expected for the wind turbines to provide roughly 10% of the Ohio manufacturing plant’s electricity but there have been numerous occasions where the production has reached over 16%.
If only 2 wind turbines could produce 10-16% of one manufacturing plant’s required electrical needs, it is not much of a jump to assume that a wind turbine farm could fully power the Brazil Honda plant.
However, other factors such as technological limits, wind resource, and electricity use will have to be considered. If the plant uses too much electricity over the course of a year then it is expected to continue relying on the grid for at least 50% of its electricity needs.
It is still undetermined just how much electricity the Brazil plant utilizes making it difficult for experts to assert whether or not the wind turbine farm will be enough to keep the plant off the grid.
Many large corporations are beginning assess the option of having a wind turbine farm; while others are investing a little more in the more expensive solar energy technology.
Cheaper renewable energy costs making off-grid living a viable option
It is only logical for these huge companies to rely on renewable energy, especially because wind energy is becoming even cheaper than electricity off the grid. Many places, such as in California, more and more people are living off the grid (both totally and partially) because of the lower costs of renewable energy.
Solar energy is also seeing a drop in prices lately. It is estimated that by the end of 2016, solar electricity will cost less than electricity off the grid. Even if the current tax credit for solar energy is slashed down, the prices of solar energy is on a perfect trajectory to become even cheaper than before.
Since wind turbine farm energy is cheaper; it is expected that it will continue to be the optimal choice for people especially as the technology advances.
Coal and fossil fuel are losing the battle against renewable energy
These numbers are also starting to disprove the claims of the many critics against renewable energy when they announce that solar and wind energy is not reliable and too expensive. Yet as the years continue on, these options are only becoming more advanced and cheaper than coal and fossil fuel.
Along with the wind turbines used by Honda, this is only a sign that renewable energy is not just for “enviros” and “climate change enthusiasts” but are also becoming viable energy solutions for huge corporations around the world.
