Honda Amps Up Solar Power at California HQ

Honda Motor Co. has begun using a solar energy system to help power its U.S. headquarters campus in Torrance, Calif.

The 6,000-solar panel array is expected to generate 3,000-MWh of power per year, which Honda says will offset about 30% of the complex’s purchased electricity. The solar array is connected to three large lithium-ion batteries to store the energy and coordinate usage with the electric grid, including smoothing operation to offset disruptions caused by abrupt weather changes.

Honda also will use the solar energy for all 60 of the electric vehicle charging ports installed at the site. The carmaker developed a cloud-based energy management system to manage the process.