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Going green is a trendy strategy among global-leaders in IT enterprises. Cisco, an international IT company, has awarded NRG Renew to develop a 20MW solar energy facility at its San Jose headquarters. Cisco aims to use renewable sources for at least 25% of its electricity needs by 2017, while the 20-MW project is scheduled to begin operation by the end of 2016.
NRG Renew LLC, a subsidiary of NRG Energy, will convert its NRG Solar Blythe II location in the Sonoran Desert, which is a 153-acre parcel that has been under development by NRG since 2010, into a solar installation. Electricity generated by the solar installation will be sold to Cisco under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA), increasing Cisco headquarters’ total use of clean, emission-free electricity.
“Enabling a diverse energy supply through low-carbon and renewable sources is key to meeting Cisco’s energy goals set forth in 2013,” said Ali Ahmed, Global Energy and Sustainability Leader, Cisco. “We thoroughly vetted potential solutions to help us realize our sustainability goals and are thrilled to collaborate with NRG to source renewable energy and increase our use of solar power. We look forward to exploring new, innovative ways to green the power we use.”
Cisco has also installed approximately 2MW of solar at Cisco facilities over the past two years, including a new system in Boxborough, Mass. In addition to using electricity from certified low-carbon and renewable sources, Cisco is committed to reducing its energy consumption by improving the efficiency of its buildings.
Beyond decreasing lighting and space conditioning energy, Cisco is focused on reducing power consumption in its engineering labs, the company’s largest consumers of energy and greatest source of greenhouse gas emissions. Cisco is also deploying new workplace designs to make better use of existing real estate and stimulate innovation through collaboration.
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