EPA recognizes BMW Manufacturing among users of On-Site Green PowerBMW Ranks 7th out of 20 Green Power Partners
August 6, 2009…BMW Manufacturing Co. announced
today that they received a No. 7 ranking of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) new top 20 on-site Green Power Partners.
The EPA’s Green Power Partnership recognized these partners for
generating the most green electricity on-site. To qualify as an EPA
Green Power Partner, the user must be harnessing and deploying green
power – solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, biogas and/or low-impact
hydropower – at their facility rather than at central power plants.
BMW Manufacturing has received this distinction, in large part, due
to the ongoing Landfill Gas to Energy program which began in late 2002.
For over 6 years, BMW has collected methane gas from the nearby
Palmetto Landfill and transported it through a 9.5 mile pipeline to the
Plant’s energy center where it provides energy to over 60% of the 2.5
million square foot plant.
"EPA commends our leading partners for their continued commitment
to protecting the environment by using green power," said Kathleen
Hogan, Director of the Climate Protection Partnerships Division at EPA.
”By supporting green power, BMW Manufacturing is reducing its
greenhouse gas emissions, supporting clean energy technologies, and
contributing to a clean energy future."
Recently, BMW announced a $12 million investment to add 2 new,
highly efficient gas turbine generators capable of producing 11,000
kilowatts (kW) of electricity. These two new co-generation turbines
will replace four older, less-efficient turbines. The new turbines have
the capability to increase electrical output from 14% up to almost 30%
of the plant’s current electrical demand.
“BMW’s landfill gas program has greatly contributed to our ongoing
commitment to sustainability,” explained Josef Kerscher, President of
BMW Manufacturing. “Using methane gas to provide energy for our plant
has saved BMW an annual average savings of $5 million in energy costs.”
With the addition of the new turbines, the Landfill Gas project
will return an additional average annual cost savings to BMW of up to
$2 million and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 92,000
tons per year or the equivalent to the benefit of planting over 23,000
acres of trees annually or 30 times the size of New York’s Central
Park.
BMW Manufacturing is completing a $750 million expansion to add
300,000 square feet to their Paint Shop and construct a new 1.2 million
square foot Assembly plant. Many new technologies throughout the new
construction support BMW’s sharp focus on energy savings, including:
* Installation of a new paint conveyer system technology that reduces overall water consumption in the Paint Shop by 50%.
* A new concept for air ventilation that will save an estimated 31%
of energy when compared to using a conventional ventilation system
* A new Integrated Paint Process that will reduce the paint shop’s waste by nearly 80%
In addition, BMW Manufacturing recycles over 83% of all waste
streams and uses Solar energy to power the a trash compactor in the
company’s main cafeteria. Use of the solar-powered trash compactor
dramatically reduces the frequency of trash collection, reducing fuel
cost and exhaust fumes. This solar-powered trash compactor is the first
in use at an automotive plant in the United States.
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