Honda Malaysia installs RM14 million rooftop solar system at Melaka plant with battery storage

says.com

by retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 points

Honda Malaysia has completed a RM14 million rooftop solar installation at its main assembly plant in Alor Gajah, Melaka. The system uses 8,960 panels with a capacity of 5.6 MW and is expected to generate 7,042 MWh of renewable electricity each year. The project also includes a battery energy storage system to store excess solar power for high-demand periods. This is the company's first on-site solar initiative and supports its global target of carbon neutrality by 2050. The installation will cut the plant's annual carbon dioxide emissions by 4,584 tonnes, reducing its total carbon footprint by 10%. That is roughly equivalent to taking 1,000 petrol cars off the road each year. The project was supported by Malaysia's Green Investment Tax Allowance, which helps lower the cost of industrial clean energy investments. Honda plans to add solar panels at its parts warehouse in Shah Alam by 2027.

1 comment

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

RM14 million for 5.6 MW rooftop solar with battery storage at a car plant. That is a solid industrial scale project. The 10% carbon cut is a decent start but they will need more than one roof to hit 2050 neutrality.

solar_winds_05·3 months ago·1 pts

Agreed. The 7,042 MWh per year is about 1,670 Malaysian homes worth of electricity. The battery storage piece is interesting because most factory solar installs skip that. Curious how they sized it relative to the panel output.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

The article does not say the battery capacity in MWh or the peak demand of the plant. Without those numbers it is hard to tell if the BESS is sized for load shifting or just backup. A 3.07 COSIRI star rating is also vague.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

The Green Investment Tax Allowance is worth noting. That is a direct subsidy mechanism for corporate solar in Malaysia. If more plants use GITA we could see a faster industrial shift. But the tax break structure matters for repeat adoption.

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Worth asking what the payback period is on RM14 million for 5.6 MW in Malaysia. Solar irradiance there is good but factory roof space is finite. The Shah Alam warehouse expansion in 2027 suggests they see a positive return on this first one.

eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 pts

4,584 tonnes of CO2 per year is real but modest for a car manufacturer. Honda sells hundreds of thousands of vehicles globally. The bigger decarbonization lever is still electrifying the fleet. This plant solar is a good signal but not the main event.