AkzoNobel has installed the largest solar energy plant in Europe at its Pilawa, Poland, facility.

Company officials say the plant covers around seven acres and has 3,551 solar panels, allowing an installed capacity of 1.9-megawatt peak. The panels will provide nearly a quarter of the decorative paints facility’s electricity needs. Officials say the installation is one of several investments in Pilawa, including automating the solvent paint filling and raw material dosing processes.

“We’re committed to realizing our science-based target of halving our carbon emissions across the full value chain by 2030,” says Janusz Karwowski, manufacturing director of the company’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 solar plant is not AkzoNobel’s first in Europe. The company has 1,300 panels at its Opava, Czech Republic, powder coatings site. Covering nearly 2,800 square meters, the plant has an installed capacity of 574 kilowatts peak, generating around 15% of the facility’s total energy needs.

In addition to Europe, AkzoNobel has been operating on 100% renewable electricity in South America (since late 2023) and North America (since early 2023). The company’s overall ambition is to achieve 100% renewable electricity in its own operations by 2030.

“The company has been operating on 100% renewable electricity in Europe since January 2022, and more than 30 sites around the world now use solar panels as a supplementary energy source,” says Wijnand Bruinsma, director of sustainability. “We’re increasing this number as part of a global program, and Pilawa represents another successful step in the right direction.”