Wednesday 1 May 2013

US broadband firm invests $100m in solar and fuel-cell project

A US broadband and telecommunications company announced it would invest $100 million (£64m) in a solar and fuel-cell energy project to power 19 of its facilities across the country.

The project will help Verizon generate more than 70 million kWh of clean electricity when operational – enough to power around 6,000 homes per year – and cut more than 10,000 tons of carbon emissions. It is also expected to help the company reach its goal of cutting its carbon intensity in half by 2020.

James Gowen, Verizon’s Chief Sustainability Officer said: “This is a natural evolution of our sustainability efforts and of our use of alternative energy to power a variety of our facilities. These projects will reduce our carbon footprint, relieve demand on the electrical grid and enhance the resiliency of our proven service continuity - even during outages.”

Verizon will work with ClearEdge Power, a manufacturer of distributed power systems, to install 400 fuel cell systems (pictured) at its sites in California, New Jersey and New York. SunPower Corporation will install high-efficiency rooftop and ground mounted solar systems at its facilities in six different states.