GKN Aerospace Cowes Completes 1.2MW Solar Farm, Advancing Sustainability Goals

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1.2MW solar farm at GKN Aerospace's Cowes site will generate 1,150,000 kWh of electricity annually, supplying 20% of the site's energy needs
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Initiative will reduce the site's carbon footprint by 238 tonnes of CO2 annually, the equivalent of planting over 9,000 trees or removing 170 cars from the road
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Project was celebrated with a visit from Richard Quigley, the newly elected Member of Parliament for Isle of Wight West, who toured the Cowes site’s shop floor and the solar farm
GKN Aerospace, the largest private employer on the Island, has completed a 1.2MW solar farm at its East Cowes site, marking a significant milestone in the company’s commitment to sustainability. The solar farm covers 3.9 acres of previously unused land and features 2,734 panels. The farm generates enough energy to power the equivalent of 290 UK households a year.
Garry Hernes, Site Director for GKN Aerospace’s Cowes facility, said: “This is a great step forward for the site and the Island in the journey towards net-zero carbon emissions. A lot of hard work has gone into this project, and I would like to extend a massive thanks to everyone who has supported and helped make it a reality.”
Cowes plans to continue its sustainability efforts by exploring further renewable energy opportunities, optimizing production processes and implementing energy meters and management systems to reduce energy waste.
The Cowes solar farm is one of four GKN Aerospace sites using solar energy, alongside Western Approach and its UK Global Technology Centre, both in Bristol, and Papendrecht, in The Netherlands. Five additional GKN Aerospace sites, in the US, Mexico, India and Sweden, are in the planning phase for solar power implementation, putting the company on track to have over half of its global workforce of 16,000 people operating in facilities powered by renewable energy.
Solar power is a key step in the realisation of GKN Aerospace’s sustainability goals, which have recently been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). GKN Aerospace has also been recognised by EcoVadis as among the leading 15% of companies for operational sustainability practices.