Alight builds rooftop solar power plant in Paris for Toyota Material Handling

Toyota Material Handling France (TMHFR), global leader in materials handling equipment, has signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the solar energy company Alight. Alight develops, owns and manages the rooftop photovoltaic plant at the Bussy-Saint-Georges facility, and TMHFR buys the electricity produced by the plant as part of Toyota Material Handling Europe’s (TMHE) solar roll-out. In 2019, TMHE and Alight joined forces in a strategic solar energy program with rooftop solar power systems to be installed at TMHE production and management facilities across multiple European countries. The first solar site was built in 2020 and is located in TMHE facility in Mjölby, Sweden.

– We are extremely proud to continue our collaboration with Toyota Material Handling. Industrial and commercial rooftops across Europe are largely underutilized areas, despite many being well suited for solar power generation. So it is truly inspirational to see large corporations take action to rapidly build out renewable energy, while at the same time hedging against electricity price volatility – a win-win. says Harald Överholm, CEO of Alight.

– This photovoltaic roof will help us to further reduce our environmental impact and electricity costs, while protecting us against electricity price volatility for the duration of the agreement, says Eric Loustau, General Director of TMHFR. This solar power plant is a concrete example of what we are doing in terms of sustainability, an area in which we have had high ambitions for over 10 years.

Construction of the rooftop solar site started in fall 2022, and was completed and began delivery of clean electricity in December 2022. The long term agreement with Alight will help TMHFR hedge its electricity costs, reduce its environmental impact and protect against volatility in the electricity market. The solar rooftop installation has 790 solar panels with an installed capacity of 300-kilowatt peak power (kWp). It will produce approximately 323 MWh a year.

TMHE has high sustainability ambitions, is a member of the Science Based Target Initiative and certified by EcoVadis. They are also committed to zero emissions across their entire value chain by 2050 and net-zero emissions from their own operations by 2030. Since 2021, TMH has 100% renewable energy. This solar plant helps them further reduce its environmental impact and electricity costs, all while protecting it against electricity price volatility throughout the course of the agreement.

About Toyota Material Handling
Toyota Material Handling is a member of the Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO), the world’s leading materials handling solutions provider since 2001. TICO operates worldwide under the Toyota, BT, Raymond, SIMAI, Cesab & Cascade brands. With the acquisition of Vanderlande, Bastian solutions and viastore, Toyota Industries Corporation is now a leading partner in automated solutions for its customers. A subsidiary of the Toyota Material Handling Europe group, Toyota Material Handling France employs nearly 1,000 people in France and generated a turnover of €429 million in fiscal year 2022, thanks to a sales network of 9 integrated agencies and 35 partner dealers.

About Alight
Alight is a leading solar developer and Independent Power Producer, co-founded in 2013 to usher in a new era of solar power to businesses seeking to go greener. With an entirely subsidy-free business model, Alight develops, owns and operates solar projects, onsite and offsite, across Europe. By 2030, Alight is set to have an installed capacity of at least 5 GW backed with solar Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). Alight is developing more than 1 GW of PPA-based projects across Sweden, with a further 170 MW under development across the rest of Europe. Alight is also leading the industry on co-located battery storage, a key component of ensuring that grid stability copes with the solar roll-out.