BT selects solar system from EI Solutions for U.S. headquarters
British Telecom has joined a growing number of the corporations who are building their own energy generating facilities to access renewable energy solutions and to establish energy security.
In a deal structure common with corporate alternative energy deployments, BT will engage Solar Power Partners and EI Solutions, to construct and run the approximately 500 kW AC solar power facility. EI Solutions won the deal in a competitive auction and will design, supply and build the entire system. The system will then be purchased, owned and operated by Solar Power Partners, with the solar-generated electricity sold to BT under a Power Purchase Agreement. BT will purchase 100 percent of the energy output of the system for a fixed term, which will equate to approximately 15 percent of BT’s energy requirements for the site.
Once the system is fully operational, BT expects to reduce carbon emissions by 642,000 pounds (291.2 metric tons) annually as well as decrease its overall power costs for the site in future years. The system also qualifies for rebates under the California Solar Initiative scheme.
“Our BT Americas headquarters site in California was an ideal location for a solar power system due to its large, unobstructed, south-facing areas,” said Michael Boustridge, president, BT USA & Canada. “That, factored with BT’s overall global climate change strategy, the pressing need for our industry to cut carbon emissions and the leadership of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and El Segundo’s mayor and city officials, helped us easily decide to pursue a solar plan for our energy requirements at the site.”
The system is designed with the majority of the system’s approximately 2,000 solar modules mounted on top of an elevated single-axis tracking system to be installed above the site’s south facing parking lot. Once complete, the system will generate approximately 917,000 kWh per year of electricity.
BT announced last year that it will spend £250 million in the construction of wind power facilities to supply about 60% of its power requirements in the UK. Meanwhile, EI Solutions is also the supplier to Google’s massive solar installation at its Mountain View campus.
Category: Global energy, Green corporations, Renewables
