Rivian has received the last components for the 2.8-megawatt wind turbine that is currently being installed at its manufacturing facility in Normal, Illinois, as shown in a short video published on the automaker's official Twitter account (embedded below).
The California-based EV maker, which produces the R1T pickup, R1S SUV, and Amazon EDV, announced last year that it will install a wind turbine on the east side of its manufacturing campus in Normal, inside the vehicle test track.
Rivian partnered with Virginia-based Apex Clean Energy to develop and construct the less-than-510-foot tall turbine that can generate nearly 10 million kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, which would be enough to power 890 average US homes.
Together with a 783-kilowatt solar canopy that was scheduled to begin generating electricity last summer, the newly constructed wind turbine with non-reflective blades will charge the batteries of all new R1 vehicles coming off the assembly line.
“To us, our job isn’t done when our vehicles come off the line,” said Andrew Peterman, Rivian Director of Renewable Energy. “While we’re working hard to help electrify transportation, we’re also pushing to accelerate the shift to carbon-free electricity for all. This wind turbine is an early step on that path, and it’s also a beacon of our vision for a clean energy future.”
Rivian says that the sound emitted by the new power source is estimated to average 35 decibels and reach a maximum of 42 decibels – about the level of a refrigerator. This means that the new construction shouldn't impede nature and that birds flying near it won't be bothered by the sound of the turning blades.
In late January, the electric vehicle brand opened its first photovoltaic project, a 1 MW solar park built in collaboration with Clearloop near the small town of Paris, Tennessee.
With this latest renewable energy source, Rivian is moving forward with its plan of becoming a carbon-neutral company by 2040, 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement.
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