NEW YORK, Oct. 20, 2021
/PRNewswire/ -- With encouragement from the Biden Administration
and the keen support of new US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, a number of elite U.S.
companies have turned to alternative energy sources to power their
facilities and operations. Some large-scale fields of solar
photovoltaic panels and wind turbine farms are currently under
construction, while some are already commissioned and generating
clean, emissions-free electricity either for direct or indirect use
for large automotive manufacturing plants.
Initiatives to bring clean energy to production sites are
explored in this new 60-minute program, which breaks down how these
renewable energy systems work for viewers, including an explanation
on how the energy is captured, stored and used inside the plants.
It even goes one step further to explain how any excess, unused
electricity is fed back to the regional power grid, which can help
benefit nearby communities while lowering the carbon footprint of
the manufacturing industry.
"The Power of Solar & Wind – The Road to Carbon Neutrality"
zooms in to examine the latest science, learnings and
developments undertaken by one of the nation's largest
manufacturers aiming to become carbon neutral in its facilities by
2035 in the world premiere set to air on Saturday, October 23 at 6
a.m. (ET/PT) on Discovery, Friday,
October 29, at 5 p.m. (ET/PT)
on the Science Channel and Sunday, October 31 at 9 a.m.
(ET/PT) on MotorTrend TV, timed to match the start of the
UN Climate Conference in Glasgow,
Scotland.
In addition to installing renewable energy generation equipment
directly on its own sites, the world's largest automaker and one of
the nation's largest automobile manufacturers, Toyota Motor North
America, shows its commitment to have a net positive impact on the
environment and society by exploring and entering into Virtual
Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs). VPPAs, where electricity is
generated off-site to replace the high emission electricity taken
off the grid, create jobs, allow clean energy generation sites to
be placed in underserved communities and provide access to clean
electricity by other grid customers. Agreements such as this will
allow Toyota to reduce emissions from its North American operations
by up to 40% over the next three years.
Of course, coming up with the complex plan was not so
straightforward; it was the result of more than six years of
research into how best to reduce and replace emissions from
Toyota's operations, working in partnership with MIT, the National Renewable Energy Lab, the Rocky
Mountain Institute and others. The plan to add more renewable
energy is part of a wider effort across the company to reduce the
environmental impact of enterprise operations as it also works to
limit vehicle emissions.
"We know our collective future – our health and well-being –
depends on our ability as a society to focus on collective issues
like the reduction of carbon," said Kevin
Butt, Toyota Motor North America's environmental
sustainability director. "To solve our own puzzle on how to more
quickly reduce carbon output from our footprint, we have been
aggressively exploring a variety of options to find the one that
will best meet our needs, and, in this case, it was clear that we
would be able to reduce the most carbon most quickly from a
combination of solutions."
How can this change to our climate be slowed down? How can we
reduce the CO2 released into the air from the industries we rely
on? How can we as a society achieve carbon neutrality?
By first understanding the problem and then bringing together
experts to pool their knowledge and resources to offer
solutions.
In this program, we will look behind the curtains at Toyota
Motor North America where the commitment to be carbon neutral in
its manufacturing plants in North
America by 2035 is in full force – transferring its
manufacturing center energy sources to wind, hydroelectric and
solar power. As the world's largest automobile manufacturer, Toyota
is setting the tone and providing environmental leadership to its
suppliers, dealers and customers along with a strong message to its
future employees at universities and trade schools.
Viewers will have the opportunity to see it on the following
schedule:
(Check local listings)
Discovery
Channel:
|
Sat. 10/23 at 6–7
a.m. ET/PT
|
Science
Channel:
|
Fri. 10/29 at 5–6
p.m. ET/PT
|
MotorTrend
TV:
|
Sun. 10/31 at 9–10
a.m. ET/PT
|
The Power of Solar & Wind – The Road to Carbon Neutrality is
produced by Bader Media Group for Discovery. Mike Leventhal is executive producer for Bader.
Hena Cuevas was associate producer
and Hilary Lane served as writer.
Toyota funded the production.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in
North America for more than 60
years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation
mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands plus our 1,800
dealerships.
Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly employs
more than 47,000 in North America.
The company has contributed world-class design, engineering, and
assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks at our 14
manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in
Alabama that begins production in
2021.
Toyota Contact:
Ed
Hellwig
Toyota Motor North America
edward.hellwig@toyota.com
Phone: 469-292-1165
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SOURCE Toyota Motor North America