Tokyo - The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced today that it installed a photovoltaic power generation system - solar power - at the Research and Development Integrated Center (RADIC) at its Hiratsuka Factory with diverse product lines. One hundred twenty 87-watt panels in a space of approximately 90 square meters will supply about 8,000 kWh of electricity annually, cutting CO2 emissions by about three tons per year. The new system is to be operational from Thursday, December 23. The Hiratsuka Factory has employed photovoltaic and wind-powered generation since 2009, though on a smaller scale.

Deeming efforts to combat global warming to be a priority among its environmental activities, Yokohama Rubber has announced the challenging target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2020*. To achieve that target, Yokohama Rubber is endeavoring to shift to the use of natural energies, to adopt highly efficient equipment and to otherwise aggressively conserve energy. As part of the effort to use natural energy, in addition to the Hiratsuka Factory, photovoltaic power generation systems have been introduced at the Mishima Plant (photovoltaic power) and the Shinshiro-Minami Plant (photovoltaic and wind). Overseas, a system has been installed at Hangzhou Yokohama Tire Co., Ltd., Yokohama Rubber's subsidiary producing and selling tires for passenger cars in China, and is scheduled to start operation in February 2011. Hereafter, similar shifts will be made domestically and internationally.

For four consecutive years, beginning in 2006, the Yokohama Rubber Group's domestic companies have achieved greenhouse gas emissions reductions better than Japan's reduction targets under the Kyoto Protocol by introducing co-generation systems at major tire manufacturing plants and improving energy conservation.

* The benchmark year is 1990. Under the Kyoto Protocol, the benchmark year for HFC, PFC and SF6 is 1995. Greenhouse gas emissions are calculated based on the Calculation and Reporting Manual for Greenhouse Gas Emissions published jointly by the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).