8 May 2023
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
PepsiCo recently unveiled Ireland’s largest rooftop solar panel installation at its facility in Carrigaline, Co. Cork. The project commenced in 2022 and was completed in April 2023. In total, there are over 4,500 individual solar panels that make up the installation. This development coincides with the 20th anniversary of the Carrigaline facility opening, nearly 50 years after PepsiCo’s Little Island facility opened in 1974.
Michael McGrath TD, Minister for Finance,
Vince Goggin, Site Lead – Manufacturing Director, The Tánaiste, Micheál Martin TD and
Randall Lovorn, SVP and GM, PepsiCo Global Concentrate
Solutions are pictured at the unveiling of Ireland’s largest rooftop solar panel
installation at the PepsiCo facility in Carrigaline, Co. Cork. The installation, made up of over
4,500 individual panels, will provide 25% of the annual electricity required by the site,
growing to 100% at peak times.
Picture: Clare Keogh
The solar panel installation will significantly reduce the amount of electricity used by PepsiCo’s Carrigaline facility. 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). This is 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, Micheál Martin TD, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs & 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”.
Randall Lovorn, Senior Vice-President and General Manager, PepsiCo Global Concentrate Solutions 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.”
Vincent Goggin, Site Lead – Manufacturing Director, PepsiCo said: “This year marks 20 years since we first started operations at the Carrigaline facility. I’m proud to say that over those 20 years, we have built up our operations here while embedding ourselves in the local Carrigaline community, now employing over 300 people at this site. I’m delighted to say that, during that time, we have been able to maintain and build on what helps us succeed – our employees. In fact, 11 of our current employees have been with PepsiCo since day one of operations at this facility. The completion of our solar panel installation is a significant milestone on our pep+ journey and just one of many investments we will be making to place sustainability at the heart of our operations into the future.