India’s Tata Motors Joins RE100 Initiative

India’s largest automobile manufacturer and part of the famous Tata conglomerate, Tata Motors has joined the RE100 initiative.

By joining the RE100 initiative Tata Motors has committed to source 100% of its electricity needs from renewable energy sources — an impressive task, considering at present, the company only acquires around 8% of its electricity demand from renewable energy.

The company owns a number of wind energy projects, but being an industrial consumer it also faces the Renewable Purchase Obligation and needs to acquire a set minimum percentage of electricity from renewable energy sources. Location of the company’s manufacturing units is advantageous, with three of its manufacturing facilities located along or near the western coast of India, an area blessed with significant wind energy resources.

An increasing number of Indian companies are looking to source renewable energy directly from captive power plants instead of depending on the inconsistent, and at times insufficient power supply from utilities. As such, Tata Motors may also look to invest in solar power projects, both utility-scale and rooftop power systems.

Tata Motors is the second Indian company to have committed to the RE100 initiative. Last year, information technology major Infosys announced its pledged to source 100% electricity from renewable energy sources.