Large enough to park nearly 3,000 vehicles, Intel’s solar carport installation is said to the largest private project of its kind in the USA.
Constructed at its Folsom, California campus, the new 6.5 megawatt addition brings total on-site solar energy generation at the campus to 8.7 MW; enough to provide half of the campus’s energy usage and equivalent to meeting the power needs of almost 1,000 homes.
The project is claimed by Intel to be among the largest private solar panel installations in California and among the top-10 in the U.S.
Intel’s no slouch when it comes to renewables uptake.
The company purchased more than 3.1 billion kWh of green electricity in 2015 from wind, geothermal, low impact hydro, biomass and solar power sources. This was enough to meet 100% of its U.S. electricity use for the year.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows Intel to be number one in its Green Power Rankings, a position it has held for seven years
According to the Intel’s most recent corporate responsibility report, covering 2014, the company had completed 20 solar installations on 12 Intel campuses by that stage. Collectively, these installations generate 12 million kWh per year of solar electricity.
The company has also installed solar hot water systems at severa sites, 2 megawatts of fuel cells in California, and started a pilot project involving on-site wind micro-turbines and ground-source heat pumps at its site in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Last year, Intel installed 58 micro-turbines atop the roof of their headquarters in Santa Clara, California.
The company has also achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for more than 40 new and existing buildings in nine countries.
Since 2008, Intel has invested more than USD $100 million in thousands of energy efficiency projects at its production facilities. Collectively, these projects have saved more than 2.4 billion kWh of energy, or carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to the electricity consumption of 153,000 average U.S. homes over a year.
Intel was among the 81 companies to sign the American Business Act on Climate Pledge in October last year.
