General Motors hopes for sun in Spain

US car manufacturer General Motors says it is adding the world's largest rooftop solar power installation to its car assembly plant in Zaragoza, Spain.

Once completed this autumn, the installation will comprise about 85,000 solar panels covering two million square feet of roof at the plant and will generate up to 12Mw of power.

The company said the installation will generate about 15.1 million Kwh of power annually, equivalent to the demand of 4,575 households with an average annual consumption of 3,300Kwh in Spain.

"We are making significant progress in reducing the impact our facilities have on the environment," said Elizabeth Lowery, GM vice president, environment, energy and safety policy.

General Motors partnered with Clairvoyant Energy, environmental services company Veolia Environmental and the Government of Aragon on the project.

The installation adds to two others the company already has in the US on the roofs of two of its parts warehouses in California.