CLARK FREEPORT – The biggest tire manufacturer in the Philippines has taken its development towards environmental protection and energy conservation to a higher notch as it moved towards renewable energy.
The Yokohama Tire Philippines, Inc. (YTPI) manufacturing plant here is now being powered by a 4-Megawatt (4MW) rooftop solar plant.
Wenri Eric de Guzman, YTPI public relations officer, said on Monday that the installation covered 24,000 square meters of the company’s west roofing with approximately 15,000 units of solar panels.
He described the rooftop solar plant as the biggest in the region and second in the country in terms of generating capacity.
The solar panel installation will off set YTPI’s annual demand from the grid by seven percent or 5.2 million kWh.
It will also reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emission annually by 2,800,000 kilograms.
De Guzman said the solar panels will also provide a cooling effect inside the factory which will reduce energy consumption on air conditioning, especially during the hot summer season.
The installation of the panels was completed in the first week of June 2019 and started its operation right after. De Guzman said Sharp Solar Solutions Asia Co. Ltd. supplied the solar panels while Myegie Construction and Micromatic Industries did the civil and electrical works, respectively.
The project is being considered as one of the breakthrough projects of YTPI while strengthening its corporate philosophy in preserving and protecting the environment and the earth’s resources.
YTPI is aiming to have a sustainable, self-reliant and renewable alternative power source that will have a strong impact on CO2 emission and cost reduction, de Guzman said.
YTPI is a pioneer company among locators in this freeport and using solar power through its solar tubes that provides lighting in their canteen building facility during the daytime.
YTPI’s solar program is in line with the Green Building Code of the Philippines which “seeks to improve the efficiency of the building performance through a framework of acceptable set of standards that will enhance sound environmental and resource management that will counter the harmful gases responsible for the adverse effects of climate change, throughout the building’s life-cycle including efficient use of resources, site selection, planning, design, construction, use, occupancy, operation and maintenance, without significant increase in cost.”
YTPI is one of the biggest subsidiaries of the Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. outside Japan.
