Venture Group to generate 40% of daily electricity through solar panels

Brunswick Corporation’s Venture Group (BVG) has installed an array of photovoltaic solar panels at its location in Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portugal. The new array, which sits atop a 3,000-square-metre segment of the facility’s roof, comprises 535 panels that will generate approximately 40 per cent of the location’s daily electricity needs. 

The renewable energy generated by the solar array is projected to provide as much as 375,251 kWh per year, equivalent to about 162 metric tons of Co2.

Venture Group comprises the Bayliner, Heyday, Trophy, Quicksilver and Uttern boat brands.

Brunswick Corporation chief sustainability officer Jennifer Koenig, says: “As the world’s largest recreational marine manufacturer, we are committed to pioneering sustainable business practices in the marine industry.

“We believe it is our responsibility to serve as environmental stewards of our natural resources, and our ongoing investment in renewable energy is one way we can continue to reduce our carbon footprint.”

The firm says it has recently added several sustainably-minded upgrades to its Vila Nova de Cerveira facility, such as on-site electric vehicle charging stations, 100 per cent LED lighting, and waste reduction initiatives.

“This initiative is the beginning of a larger project, one that our employees are very engaged in,” says Benoit Verley, Venture Group president, who was appointed earlier this year.

“The reduction of our carbon footprint is part of everything we do at our Portugal facility, and our employees are not only motivated by the installation of solar panels but are already coming up with new initiatives to continue our sustainability mission.”

Brunswick announced its first solar project in 2017 with the installation of a 2,000‑panel array at its Mercury Marine division’s European headquarters in Petit‑Rechain, Belgium. 

The new array in Vila Nova de Cerveira supports Brunswick’s enterprise goal to source 50 per cent of electricity needs from renewable sources by 2030. 

Earlier this year, Brunswick announced it had signed a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with Vesper Energy to offset a majority of the projected electrical power needs of Brunswick’s global operations through clean solar energy.