PepsiCo unveils Ireland’s largest rooftop solar panel installation

PepsiCo has unveiled Ireland’s largest rooftop solar panel installation at its facility in Carrigaline.

The project, which will significantly reduce the amount of electricity used by PepsiCo’s Carrigaline facility, commenced in 2022 and was completed in April 2023.

In total, there are over 4,500 individual solar panels that make up the installation.

Over the course of a year, the solar panels will provide 25% of the electricity required by the site. During the summer months, the solar installation will have the capacity to provide 100% of the site's electricity needs.

This installation is the latest effort by PepsiCo to ensure operations are conducted in a sustainable manner.

In 2021, PepsiCo launched pep+ (PepsiCo Positive), a strategic end-to-end transformation of the organisation, placing sustainability at the heart of everything PepsiCo does.

Speaking at an event to mark the completion of the solar installation project, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence said: “Climate change is the biggest global challenge facing us and sustainability is very much to the fore of public consciousness.

“This is why it is great to see companies like PepsiCo leading by example, by utilising sustainable sources of energy in order to protect our planet.

“The food and beverage sector is a vital part of the Irish economy and I would like to acknowledge PepsiCo’s ongoing commitment to investing significantly in its Irish operations, supporting high-quality manufacturing and jobs, as it marks the 20th anniversary of this facility here in Carrigaline.” 

Senior Vice-President and General Manager of PepsiCo Global Concentrate Solutions, Randall Lovorn, said: “In 2021, PepsiCo launched our pep+ corporate strategy. pep+ changed how we view and do business. Our actions are now driven by the three pillars that uphold pep+, Positive Agriculture, Positive Value Chain, and Positive Choices.

“Today’s announcement of the largest rooftop solar panel installation in Ireland and one of the largest globally for PepsiCo, is the latest example of our commitment to ensuring sustainability and human capital is at the heart of our work.” 

The development coincides with the 20th anniversary of the Carrigaline facility opening, nearly 50 years after PepsiCo’s Little Island facility opened in 1974.

Manufacturing Director of PepsiCo Vincent Goggin said he is “proud” to say that over the course of those 20 years, PepsiCo has built up its operations while embedding itself in the local Carrigaline community, now employing over 300 people at this site.

“In fact, 11 of our current employees have been with PepsiCo since day one of operations at this facility,” he said.