COLMAR-BERG, Luxembourg–Goodyear is planning two solar power projects to eventually provide clean energy to more than 1,000 households.
The first new project at the company's testing facilities in Colmar-Berg include 1,500 solar panels energy over a parking lot and is expected to be completed by August. The second project is slated for a 2022 finish.
Both locations ultimately will produce enough power to operate 1,200 homes and reduce carbon emissions by 50,000 tons for about 20 years, the company said.
"Thanks to this project we will produce local green and carbon-free energy for Luxembourgish citizens," said Xavier Fraipont, Goodyear vice president for product development in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
The work "help the Luxembourgish government in its goal to the switch to 100 percent renewable energies," Fraipont said.
Akron-based Goodyear is working with energy supplier Enovos on the two sites.
"Enovos in close collaboration with our industrial partners strive to progress swiftly the implementation of renewable energies and thus the decarbonization of the energy sector. Enovos' ambitions are enabled by its expertise to develop and put in action renewable energy sourced solution. This joint project illustrates our continuous commitment to drive the energy transition," Enovos Luxembourg CEO Erik von Scholz said in a statement.
Enovos is the main energy supplier in Luxembourg with operations in electricity, natural gas and renewables. The company also provides service in Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Along with providing energy, the company also develops renewable energy projects with an emphasis on solar and wind power.
"Solar energy is the energy of the future, and the latest figures are a clear proof that more and more residents and companies are embracing it: the production of photovoltaic power plants is constantly increasing," Luxembourg Energy Minister Claude Turmes said in a statement.
Turmes credited Goodyear, which he called "an industrial actor of the north of the country," for "joining this development."
Goodyear's move, he said, will help convince others that solar power, also called photovoltaic energy, benefits both climate and the economy.
The first solar project will cover 4,000 square meters, or about 43,000 square feet. An American football field, in comparison, measures 57,600 square feet. Goodyear did not provide details of the second project in a May 17 announcement.
The two projects are part of a larger push by Goodyear to reduce both energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) over time.
The tire maker in November reported a 19 percent reduction in GHG emissions since 2010, putting the company ahead of schedule to meet a worldwide reduction goal of 25 percent by 2023, Goodyear said. The decrease in just the EMEA region is actually 24 percent since 2010.