BMW South Africa is making significant strides in implementing alternative and sustainable energy at Plant Rosslyn north of Pretoria.

We attended the launch of thefacelifted BMW 3-Series this week and we managed to gain some insight into how BMW is adopting renewable energy at Plant Rosslyn and worldwide. Production of the 3 Series sedan takes place at Plant Rosslyn, which is a key link in BMW’s global supply chain and as many as 350 vehicles roll off the production line on a daily basis for local and export markets.

Like many heavy industries, car production has a massive impact on the environment and the resultant carbon footprint is significant. BMW South Africa is however making an effort to reduce its environmental impact with what is considered to be the first commercially viable biogas-electricity project in South Africa.

Mr Stefan Huelsenberg, Plant Director at Rosslyn addressed the media and had the following to say, “The BMW Group has solidly incorporated the consideration of ecological and social criteria along the entire value chain as well as a clear commitment to the conservation of resources. The BMW Group intends to be not only the leading, but also the most resource efficient premium provider of individual mobility.”

Biogas to Power Production at Plant Rosslyn

Last year, BMW South Africa signed a power purchasing agreement with leading biogas waste-to-energy company, Bio2Watt, to deliver biogas-electricity to plant Rosslyn. To do this, a Biomass Plant was constructed in nearby Bronkhorstspruit on a large feedlot that has a sufficient supply of water, as well as cattle and chicken farm waste, which play an integral role in the production of biogas.

Biogas is produced through the breakdown of organic matter that’s mixed with water and microorganisms in large biogas digesters and the resultant by-product of this anaerobic digestion process is methane gas, which is then fed into gas engines to produce electricity.

When in full operation, electricity generated at the Bronkhorstspruit Biomass Plant will account for between 25 and 30% of Plant Rosslyn’s electricity usage, equating to a total output of 4.4 megawatts.

Huelsenberg said, “We aspire to be the most sustainable company in the automotive industry, therefore sustainability is one of the main drivers of our business. In this way, we not only create added value for the environment and society but also for the company itself, because sustainability management cuts costs and generates revenue and profits.”

By 2020, BMW aims to be a leader in the use of renewable energy by achieving complete carbon neutral energy supply across all its operations. At present, over 50% of BMW’s worldwide electricity requirements are derived from renewable sources.

Examples of how BMW is making use of renewable energy include the BMW Leipzig plant in Germany, which makes use of four wind turbines with 100% of the generated power contributing to the production of the BMW i3 and i8. Similarly, on the other side of the planet, at BMW’s Spartanburg plant in South Carolina, USA, a methane gas system provides about 50% of the required energy at the plant.

Earlier this year, BMW South Africa also became the first automotive company in South Africa to receive a 5-star rating by the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) for its environmentally friendly head office in Midrand, Gauteng. The GBSA rating considered factors such asindoor environment quality, energy, transport, water, materials, land use, ecology, emissions and innovations.

BMW Plant Rosslyn BioGas Video