In order to meet our objectives in terms of sustainability and efficiency, Torrent Group will end the year with the installation of photovoltaic panels in 100% of the available space in our factories in Spain Thanks to this measure, we will avoid the emission of 691 tons of CO2 per year, which is equivalent to planting 1,380 trees.
This is one more action of our company, which is framed within our 5 principles of EcoResponsibility. This concept determines the philosophy regarding care for the environment and relations with the community that surrounds us.
At the Torrent Group, we are immersed in the process of improvement and sustainable transformation. In fact, in 2022, we have improved processes and adapted new technologies that allow us to reduce energy consumption in order to reduce the negative impact that our industrial activity can have on the environment. The self-consumption solar installations that we have installed are a further convincing step in that direction.
Characteristics and use of photovoltaic panels
Photovoltaic panels or solar roofs are panel-shaped devices that are placed on rooftops and that process sunlight through silicon cells to transform it into electrical energy.
Its use is encouraged by energy specialists given that by promoting energy self-consumption they allow less energy to be used than that which comes from non-sustainable sources.
Last year in Spain, a capacity to generate 3,500 MW in solar energy through photovoltaic panels was installed, a growth of 29.9% in comparison with 2020. In this sense, electricity from solar energy currently represents 8.1% of the country’s total energy consumption: it is the renewable energy that has grown the most in relative terms.
Our experience in the implementation of photovoltaic panels in Torrent Group
The Torrent Group is progressively increasing its contribution to a sustainable world with more responsible businesses and industries. In this sense, we already gained valuable experience in the factory in Jaipur. The benefits of solar panels in India that we implemented on that occasion meant a very important saving in CO2 emissions, as much as the one we are making now.
This technology was implemented at our plants in Jerez and El Puerto de Santa María (Spain). The detail of what has been achieved with the aforementioned investment in sustainability is as follows:
- Herederos de Torrent Miranda (Cork Division) in Jerez. With the installation completed, we have assessed the savings in CO2 emissions as being 62 tons per year (this is the equivalent of planting 123 trees per year).
- Compañía de Tapones Irrellenables (Plastic Division) in El Puerto de Santa María. The installation of the photovoltaic panels will be finished at the end of the year. We estimate a saving of 281 tons of CO2 emitted per year, which would mean planting 562 trees.
- Cápsulas Torrent (Aluminium Division) in Jerez. This installation will also be completed in 2022. With this investment, we will cease to emit 348 tons of CO2 per year, which is equivalent to planting 695 trees.
As our commitment is to the entire planet, we are also making progress with the fitting of photovoltaic panels in the factory in Kenya, Africa.
Conclusions
For our group, the resources dedicated to caring for the environment provide a return, and that is why we regard them an investment. That return is clearly not economic, for the benefit of health, quality of life and well-being in general. Obviously, it is not just for Torrent Group employees but for the entire community and ecosystem of which we are a part.
We believe that being sustainable allows us to do better business, because it gives us the valuable opportunity to apply our production schemes in the long term, always with future generations in mind.