The Beetle goes green!

Go beetle! Go!

The ever popular Volkswagen Beetle goes literally green with a re-sprayed body and a purposefully worded caption. Not that The Green Beetle is related to The Green Mechanics, but I like the sound of it and it feels right having him on here on Friday's Gone Green section.


Not really sure if driving it around is a 'green' idea as it might have efficiency issues as it age up and travel many many miles.


** On a side note, over 21 million of Volkswagen Beetles have been manufactured since 1938, making the rear-wheel drive configuration the longest-running and most-manufactured car of a single design platform, worldwide.

New model sells from RM179,888 (approx $56,300) in Malaysia (1.4 TSI), while it's as low as $19,995 in the United States (2.5L).

Volkswagen of America plugs into 9.5MW solar farm

Last month, at a dedication ceremony in Chattanooga, Tennessee, dignitaries flipped a giant light switch to signal the official opening of the “Volkswagen Chattanooga Solar Park”, built on Volkswagen’s compound.

While we have the SEDA-regulated 20-year FIT power purchase agreement between power producers and TNB/SESB, Volkswagen Chattanooga and another private entity (Silicon Ranch) entered into 20-year power purchase agreement without involving the government or any of its agencies.

This is a business agreement between two private entities. And for solar power purchase, this is remarkable!

Chattanooga auto assembly plant is on the background. Volkswagen photo.

The automaker has begun using the 33,600 solar modules on a 33-acre solar farm adjacent to its manufacturing facility to power up to 12.5% of the plant’s needs during full production and 100% during non-production periods. VW’s embrace of solar power will reduce its operating costs over the long term.

Location                : Chattanooga, Tenn
Solar farm area      : 33 acres
Solar module type  : poly-crystalline
Number of panel    : 33,600
Capacity               : 9.5MW
Power production   : 13.1 GWh per year (equivalent to energy consumption of 1,200 homes)
Powering up          : estd. 12.5% of plant needs (100% during off production)

Module manufacturer     : JA Solar
Developer and operator  : Silicon Ranch (www.siliconranch.com)


The solar installation at Volkswagen Chattanooga confirms the awarding of the highly-coveted LEED Platinum certification to VW by the U.S Green Building Council in late 2011. At that time, the Building Council called the Chattanooga manufacturing facility “the world’s greenest auto plant” and noted it was the first automotive manufacturing plant in the world to receive the top LEED certification. Today, the Chattanooga plant remains the only auto plant worldwide to earn the LEED Platinum certification.


World's only LEED Platinum certified auto plant

Volkswagen's Chattanooga Operations runs the first and only automotive plant worldwide that was awarded with the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification of the U.S. Green Buildings Council.

Its new paint shop saves the use of 20,000 gallons of water per day by its innovate dry scrubber technology, while its water harvesting system provides about 6 million gallons of water annually for restrooms and cooling circuits in the body shop. The plant is certified according to ISO 14001 for its environmental management system and according to ISO 50001 for its energy management system.

And now, it came up with its own 13 GWh/year green power source from the sun.


TheGreenMechanics' two cents:

I think it is very possible for, say, Cypark to work out means to supply one of the industrial areas, or plants (e.g. KK Industrial Park, Proton Assembly plant, etc) for similar Solar Farm development and operations. A 20-year agreement is very much feasible.


Source: Volkswagen Press Release