There are very few energy sources that can be harnessed for next-to-nothing. One of these is solar power. To further "green" itself, Bavarian auto manufacturer BMW has installed four-hundred new solar modules to harness the power of the sun at its Zentrum Museum, visitor's museum, and electric car charging stations in South Carolina. The modules are now in operation and will provide 240 watts each of cleaner, more sustainable power.

Duncan Seaman, Dept. Manager of Market Operations for the USA and Canada, explains the reasoning behind the project, stating, "Adding a new, alternative energy platform to our energy portfolio is another step in our commitment to sustainable methods of generating power at our factory. It is the perfect complement to our existing landfill gas-to-energy and hydrogen fuel cell program and offsets the fossil fuel requirements otherwise needed to run our facility."¹

This isn't the first project BMW has undertaken to reduce its carbon footprint. Since 2003, the company has collected and compressed methane gas from a local landfill to provide more than 50 percent of the plant's total energy requirements. In 2009, the brand invested an additional $12 million in the landfill gas program. Since its inception, the program has reduced carbon emissions by 92-thousand tons annually. A new, on-site 11 Megawatt Energy Center is also soon-to-be constructed to handle hydrogen-fuel cell material to provide power for additional hydrogen-powered vehicles. The Spartanburg plant completes final assembly on the BMW X3 SUV.

To learn more about BMW's green initiatives, stay tuned here with BMW of Pembroke Pines, located at 14800 Sheridan St. Pembroke Pines, FL 33331. In the meantime, feel free to stop by and check out our great selection of new 2012 BMW vehicles.

Source: ¹ http://www2.wspa.com/news/2012/feb/02/bmw-goes-green-new-solar-panels-ar-3160632/