The Bendix commercial vehicle systems manufacturing operation in Huntington, Indiana received another spotlight. This is from the home state. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has selected the Bendix Solar Project to receive his 2022 Environmental Excellence Award in the Energy Efficiency/Renewable Resources category.
Click here to read more
Bendix accepted the award at an awards ceremony held in Indianapolis, Indiana on September 21st. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Energy named the Bendix solar initiative a recipient of his 2022 Better Project Award in the department’s Better Plants Program.
Administered by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the annual Environmental Excellence Awards are Indiana’s most prestigious environmental awards. These are reserved for the most innovative, sustainable and exemplary programs or projects that have a positive impact on the state’s environment and demonstrate measurable environmental, economic and social benefits. The selection process is highly competitive, with only one award selected from each of the seven categories.
The Energy Efficiency/Renewable Resources category of the Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award is for projects or programs that prevent pollution by reducing energy use or generating energy using zero or ultra-low emission technologies . This includes efforts to significantly improve the energy efficiency of buildings and facilities, the use of environmentally friendly energy production technologies and/or the use of innovative technologies that reduce reliance on high-emission energy sources. .
“The solar array is Bendix’s first and will generate power via 2,612 450-watt panels,” said Bill Schubert, Bendix’s Corporate Manager of Environment and Sustainability. “During normal operating hours at the plant, the facility uses all the energy produced. But during non-operating hours, such as weekends and holidays, Bendix can send excess energy back to the grid. This process will increase utility green energy and reduce utility costs for Bendix.”
Indianapolis-based PSG Energy Group managed construction of the array. The completed array was the largest onsite solar installation in Huntington County. At full capacity, the solar project will generate 1.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, saving an estimated $140,000 annually in electricity bills.
With the Huntington installation, Bendix hopes to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in line with its long-term sustainability goals. Key among them is his 2020 commitment to CO reduction with Bendix and Knorr-Bremse.2 Additionally, in 2021, Knorr-Bremse has stepped up its efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by maximizing renewable energy purchases and offsetting energy use. To that end, over the past two years, the company has significantly exceeded its climate goals to reduce CO.2 4.2% emissions annually.
Bendix’s next sustainability milestone is approaching. At his manufacturing campus in Acuña, Mexico, he installed two solar arrays, each generating 1,000 megawatt hours of electricity per year, reducing his CO2 on campus.2 13% reduction in emissions from the 2018 baseline. The project is scheduled to come online in 2023.
