Aligning itself to the Government's vision of adopting and strengthening usage of solar power, car market leader Maruti Suzuki India Ltd commissioned its 1 MW mono-crystalline photovoltaic solar power plant at its Manesar facility this month. Built with an investment of Rs 103 million, the 1 MW photovoltaic solar power plant will help it offset CO2 emissions to the tune of over 1,200 tonne annually.

On the initiative, Rajiv Gandhi, Executive Director (Plant), Maruti Suzuki said, "With the launch of 1MW photovoltaic solar power plant, Maruti Suzuki has taken the first step to harness renewable solar energy. The initiative is in line with the Company's philosophy of adopting environment friendly technologies that may have high upfront costs, but help bring down CO2 emissions."

"Solar energy is abundant, versatile and efficient. Through this solar facility the Company will be able to contribute towards environment. Going forward, the company is committed to expand its environment care initiatives,"

According to the company, the construction on this plant commenced in November 2013 and was completed in June 2014, covering an area of 8,900 sq m, at a cost of Rs 103 million. The plant consists of about 4,000 mono-crystalline panels. The power generated from the solar plant is synchronised with the natural gas based captive power plant and is used to complement the power requirement in the facility.