Panasonic Manufacturing UK has opened its RE100 manufacturing facility in Cardiff, Wales, which will run on 100% renewable energy from a combination of hydrogen fuel cells powered by green hydrogen, solar photovoltaic (PV) power and battery storage.
The site will feature 21 5kW hydrogen fuel cells with 95% energy efficiency, 372kW of solar capacity and one megawatt-hour of battery storage, coordinated via Panasonic’s energy management system (EMS).
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The EMS will allow the factory to balance electricity demand and supply from different sources as well as store energy during non-operational periods such as weekends.
The 50-year-old manufacturing plant retrofitted with green technologies aims to ensure both energy efficiency and resilience in a market prone to volatility.
In addition, the heat produced from the fuel cells as a by-product of electricity production will be used to heat spaces and water. The facility’s gas boilers have also been replaced with heat exchangers and heat pumps.
“This facility will use green hydrogen produced in the UK. We believe that this is the place where we can take a big step towards the future by combining British and Japanese Technology,” said Masahiro Shinada, president and CEO of Panasonic Corporation.
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By GlobalData“It is our sincere hope that this facility can be used as a showcase to foster diverse partnerships, accelerate innovation through the combination of technologies and contribute to the development of the UK’s hydrogen-related industry.”
Eluned Morgan MS, First Minister of Wales, added: “At a time when our traditional industries started to decline, Panasonic invested in Wales, bringing new products and ways of working that other industries have learnt from… It has built strong links with the local community and provides high-quality, skilled jobs in manufacturing and technology.”
The majority of the in-house electricity generated will go towards microwave oven production at the facility, as the company aims to showcase how renewable energy can power large-scale industrial operations.
The company said that the project aligns with its broader objective to reduce CO₂ emissions from its operations to net zero by 2030.
The facility will begin commissioning renewable energy in December 2024 and is expected to be fully operational by March 2025.
