MAN’s first CO₂-neutral commercial vehicle plant has opened for operations. The company has implemented its climate strategy by using only renewable energies at the MAN Truck & Bus production site in Pinetown, South Africa. A huge photovoltaic system has been installed with solar panels on 6,300 square meters of the production hall roofs. This system can generate up to 810,000 kWh per year and supplies enough energy on site to even leave a surplus that is fed into the local power grid. This measure alone reduces MAN’s CO₂ emissions in production by 860 tons per year, according to the company.

Specialists thoroughly revamped the hall roofs before installing the photovoltaic system. Skylights were built in wherever feasible to use as much daylight as possible. In addition, modern insulation makes sure that air conditioning consumes as little energy as possible. Rainwater tanks were set up to have an environmentally friendly vehicle wash on site. Wastewater is recycled, according to the company.

“The CO₂-neutral plant in Pinetown is a great success for implementing our Climate Strategy and proves that we mean business when it comes to climate protection. This project is the benchmark for sustainable commercial vehicles production in Africa,” said Georg Pachta-Reyhofen, chief executive officer of MAN SE.

MAN has set itself the target of cutting CO₂ emissions by 25 percent by 2020 compared with 2008. This target is now within reach. Up to the end of 2014 MAN already saved 19 percent which equals around 105,000 tons in CO₂, according to the company.