Ferrari goes solar

When you think Ferrari you think fire breathing supercars and F1 racing, not environmental consciousness, but the renowned marque is looking to boost its green credentials with the unveiling of a new photovoltaic system at its Engine Mechanical Machining facility in Maranello, Italy. The 210,000 kWh photovoltaic system is part of an ongoing sustainability program which also includes plans for a new tri-generation plant which the company says will cover "virtually all" of its electricity requirements and cut its annual CO2 emissions by 25-30% compared to the present levels when it becomes operational mid-year.

While the company is taking these steps to green its production facilities, there's no sign of a Fisker Karma style solar roof panel appearing on a Ferrari car any time soon, but we have heard rumors that the use of small displacement turbocharged engines is being considered in an effort to reduce the on-road carbon footprint of its vehicles.

The new roof mounted system was installed by EnerRay and uses a 185 Wp Mitsubishi Electric module producing peak power of 198.85 kWp.

Will it save the planet? Well, no. But no individual effort will, and the more companies that climb aboard the green bandwagon the better.