PepsiCo completes €2.4m rooftop solar panel installation at Cork facility 

PepsiCo has completed a €2.4m rooftop solar panel installation at its facility in Little Island, which is set to significantly reduce the facility’s electricity use.

The installation of over 3,400 individual solar panels at PepsiCo’s Little Island facility commenced in 2023 and was finalised in August 2024.

The solar PV system has added 1625 kilovolt-Amps (kVA) generation capacity to the plant which, while running during peak summer months, will have the capability to meet 100% of the plant’s requirement.

Additionally, the installation will also deliver over 20% of the plant’s annual electricity demand.

The system generated 77,634 kiloWatt-hours (kWh) —- the equivalent to the monthly electricity use of 220 households — during the month of August, a partial capacity as phase two of the system was brought online midway through the month.

This installation is the latest investment by PepsiCo to embed sustainability across its operations as part of its PepsiCo Positive (pep+) transformation and coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Little Island facility opening in 1974.

The project has been identified as both a sustainability and efficiency opportunity by utilising the renewable energy potential of the site, as well as providing cost savings by offsetting against the current electricity imports from the grid.

When speaking about the solar PV project and its installation, Brian Colgan, site director at PepsiCo Little Island, said: “In 2021, PepsiCo launched our pep+ strategy.

“Pep+ changed how we view and do business.

“Today’s announcement of our Little Island site’s rooftop solar panel installation, which is one of the largest globally for PepsiCo, is the latest example of our commitment to ensuring that sustainability and social impact are at the heart of our work.”