AkzoNobel’s largest solar energy installation in Europe has been completed at the company’s Pilawa site in Poland, advancing its commitment to powering all production locations with renewable electricity.
The plant, which spans nearly three hectares (equivalent to about two football fields), includes 3,551 solar panels with a capacity of 1.9 megawatts peak (MWp). It will supply nearly 25% of the electricity used by the decorative paints facility.
“We're committed to realizing our science-based target of halving our carbon emissions across the full value chain by 2030,” said Janusz Karwowski, manufacturing director of AkzoNobel’s Decorative Paints East Europe business. “This investment will increase our momentum as we continue to combine transitioning to renewable electricity sources with achieving our business goals.”
The Pilawa installation is one of several recent upgrades at the site, which also include automation of the solvent paint filling and raw material dosing processes.
“The company has been operating on 100% renewable electricity in Europe since January 2022, and more than 30 sites worldwide now use solar panels as an additional energy source,” said Wijnand Bruinsma, AkzoNobel’s director of sustainability. “We’re significantly increasing this number as part of a global initiative, and Pilawa represents another successful step in that direction.”
AkzoNobel recently completed another solar project at its powder coatings facility in Opava, Czech Republic. That installation, with 1,300 solar panels covering nearly 2,800 square meters, has a capacity of 574 kilowatts peak (kWp) and will provide around 15% of the site’s energy.
AkzoNobel operates on 100% renewable electricity in South America (since late 2023) and North America (since early 2023) as part of its goal to achieve 100% renewable electricity across all operations by 2030.
