When Nokian Tyres needed 3MW of solar at their new $360M Dayton, TN facility, they chose Wilmot to develop the project.
Overview
Nokian, a Finnish tire company chose Dayton, TN to build their first North American manufacturing facility. Capable of producing 4M tires each year, the state of art facility embodies Nokian’s stated passion for sustainability. In addition to solar energy and stricter than required environmental controls, the admin building will feature a fitness center, sauna, canteen and outdoor courtyard. There will even be a greenspace between the parking lot and the building, complete with a pond, park benches and walking paths.
Wilmot’s Role
Wilmot made sure Nokian understood all their options for this solar project. We developed conceptual layouts for ground-mount, rooftop and canopy solar installations. Cost and savings estimates were also presented. Typically ground and rooftop have a lower upfront cost because of the extra steel and labor needed to build a canopy. Despite this, Nokian chose to install 3MW of canopies covering 4 acres of parking lot for cooler cars in the summer, reduced heat island effect and shelter from snow and rain. Also, we think they look really cool and make a big statement to employees and visitors about Nokian’s commitment to sustainability. LightWave Solar did a fantastic job constructing the arrays.