Mobility supplier DENSO, and Silicon Ranch, one of the nation’s largest independent power producers, recently broke ground on a new solar facility at DENSO’s Maryville, Tennessee, location, along with the City of Maryville Electric Department and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).
The new solar farm is the first of four solar production facilities the group plans to bring online in Tennessee. DENSO says harnessing solar power helps the company advance its Two Great Causes: Green—achieving carbon neutrality by 2035—and Peace of Mind—creating a safe and seamless world for all; strengthen its involvement in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Plants program; and bolster broader efforts to reduce the environmental impact of its manufacturing operations and energy use.
When the solar projects are completed and coupled with additional energy conservation initiatives, 100 percent of electrical needs for DENSO’s Maryville facility will be sourced from renewable energy. This will help the Maryville location, which is a manufacturing hub for DENSO electrification and safety systems, support greater sustainability locally through its operations and across North America with its products.
“Our mission is to contribute to a better world, and as part of that, we’re committed to reducing CO2 emissions, not only through our products, but also in our operations and processes,” said Shinichi Nakamizo, president of DENSO’s Maryville facility and a Senior Director of DENSO Corporation. “We’re grateful to Maryville Electric, Silicon Ranch and TVA for helping us turn our commitment into action. We also thank our Maryville team, whose leadership is instrumental in this project and helps advance local communities toward a clean energy future.”
Through collaboration with the City of Maryville Electric Department and Silicon Ranch, DENSO says it will access a portion of the total 10.5 megawatts of solar energy produced under TVA’s Generation Flexibility program, starting with the facility located on DENSO’s Maryville campus. The TVA program enables participating local power companies (LPCs) to generate up to 5% of their total energy load to meet the renewable energy goals of their customers, attract sustainability-focused businesses to their communities, and solve individual challenges for their distribution systems.
