Cummins Inc. has installed its second largest solar array, located at Rocky Mount Engine Plant (RMEP) in North Carolina. The 3.62 MW solar farm, which sits on 14 acres, produces power directly sent to the mid-range diesel and natural gas engine plant, reducing its commercial energy needs.
The solar installation will produce around 5.6 million kWh of power annually and more than 136 million kWh over 25 years.
“We have ambitious sustainability goals in PLANET 2050 – aligned with the Paris climate accords and a target to be carbon-neutral by 2050 – and are fully committed to achieving them,” says Jennifer Rumsey, president and CEO of Cummins. “To get there, our efforts must touch our products, customers, facilities, employees and supply chain. This project is a reflection of that, and our goal of reducing absolute greenhouse gas emissions from facilities and operations by half by 2030. I was delighted to participate in the ribbon cutting of the solar farm this spring, and proud to see it now in operation and making an impact.”
Uniqiue to RMEP, the project uses solar tracking panels. This system has a single-axis tracker allowing the panels to arc and track the sun as it rises and sets. This increases system efficiency without having to install more panels. The tracking panels were installed with a ground mount, due to the project having the available space and in turn being able to maximize the system size for optimal exposure.
The solar array was installed by the RMEP Engineering and Corporate Environmental teams to reduce purchased electrical consumption.
