Lamborghini has inaugurated a new photovoltaic system installed at its premises; the biggest integrated system in Emilia Romagna’s industrial sector will enable, together with other interventions, an annual reduction in CO2 emissions of 30 percent. A counter on a pillar at the factory entrance provides a real-time display of the kilowatt hours of electrical energy produced and the effective amount of kilograms of CO2 saved. Started in 2007 and finished on schedule at the end of 2009, today’s launch of the photovoltaic system marks an important energy improvement project; it has a total power output of 1.4 MW, producing green energy of 1,582 MWh/year with a 20% reduction in emissions.

Automobili Lamborghini today inaugurates the new photovoltaic system installed at its premises in Sant’Agata Bolognese. The biggest integrated system in Emilia Romagna’s industrial sector will enable, together with other interventions, a reduction in CO2 emissions of 30%, equal to more than 1,067 tons per year.

The operation affects important areas of the business: the production plant, sales offices, the customer service department and “Centro Stile”, occupying a total area of 17,000 square meters, equivalent to more than two football pitches.

“Today’s inauguration is an important step in a process that Lamborghini has been pursuing for some time,” said Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. “We will carry on down this road, and are evaluating activities which will lead, in the future, to a remarkable 50% reduction in the factory’s CO2 emissions. This will go hand-in-hand with actual product development, where our goal is to reduce emissions by 35% by 2015.”

The photovoltaic system

The system was created by Spanish group Gestamp Asetym Solar s.l., a leader in the field of renewable source investment, and Sinergia Sistemi S.p.A., an Italian market leader in energy saving services, specializing in civil and industrial energy management and large system creations which exploit renewable sources. Sinergia Sistemi devised an energy improvement plan for Lamborghini that identified the actions needed to improve the overall efficiency of the factory. Started in 2007 and finished on schedule at the end of 2009, today’s launch of the photovoltaic system marks an important energy improvement project; it has a total power output of 1.4 MW, producing green energy of 1,582 MWh/year with a 20% reduction in emissions. A further 10% reduction was obtained by applying a thermal insulation cover to the entire roof of the production facility, the introduction of domotics for lighting and heating systems and the use of warm air destratifiers. A counter on a pillar at the factory entrance provides a real-time display of the kilowatt hours of electrical energy produced and the effective amount of kilograms of CO2 saved.

Responsible Road to Super Car Development

The innovative nature which has always been a feature of Lamborghini also entails reducing the environmental impact of the cars made at Sant’Agata, while keeping faith with the brand values and its character as a super sports car manufacturer. The Research and Development department has amassed an internationally recognized expertise which allows it to achieve objectives that are only possible through the use of innovative technologies and materials such as composite materials and carbon fiber.

Lamborghini research focuses on:
• reducing the weight of the vehicles
• improving combustion
• reducing friction
• integrating Start-and-Stop systems
• hybrid transmission solutions
• biofuels

The first milestone was achieved with the Gallardo LP 560-4. The new technical solutions applied to this car enabled a reduction in CO2 emissions of 18%, and nearly 20% on the latest rear-wheel drive Valentino Balboni version. This has been achieved without affecting the car’s performance, thanks to an improvement of its already amazing power to weight ratio.

Joint research with Boeing produces new materials for car manufacture Last December, in Seattle, Lamborghini unveiled the ‘Advanced Composite Structures Laboratory’, a facility that endorses the company’s decision to invest in new technologies based on carbon fiber, with help from the University of Washington and the Boeing Company. The ACSL is the ideal environment for the analysis and identification of carbon fiber materials and their production and processing. Carbon fiber is ideal for the manufacture of sports cars as its use enables a reduction in weight and increased mechanical features. The car’s performance is thus improved with a decreased weight to power ratio, and reduced total mass, means that CO2 emissions are also decreased.

Focus on people and the environment

Automobili Lamborghini’s environmental policy takes into account all considerations relating to its locality and this responsibility has led it to become the first and only Italian company in the automotive sector to obtain EMAS environmental certification (EMAS regulation is a tool conceived by the European Union for helping organizations to evaluate and improve their environmental efficiency). This important recognition was awarded in July 2009, only a few months after Lamborghini had obtained ISO 14001 certification, thereby satisfying environmental management international standards.