14 DAY TRIAL // Facebook is consolidating its position among the most eco-conscious companies in the IT field. The major company decided to experience the advantages of solar power-usage in its new facility, located in Menlo Park, California.
Congenra Solar will install the solar system which will provide renewable clean power to the entire 10,163 square-foot headquarter, which will reunite the 2,000 people who used to work in Facebook's facility located in Palo Alto, by December.
Solar power will be used to power all the company's utilities, from showers to gym equipment. The installation is quite small, yet effective.
Officials affirmed that the system has a 60 kilowatts capacity of thermal and electric power. Integrated photovoltaic pannels will work in partnership with the advantages offered by solar thermal energy providers.
The option of generating energy and hot water at the same time under the same roof is both green and cost-effective, according to the representatives from Cogenra CEO Gilad Almogy.
Furthermore, they say that the clean sunlight-based power will help the company to considerably reduce its carbon footprint. Only one third of the amount of emissions will affect the atmosphere, after the installation is completed.
Even more important is the fact that Facebook turns out to be the most innovative company in this line of business, since Almogy says that the major player on the IT market managed to be the first one to experience the benefits of this mixture of thermal power and photovoltaics, in the same modular package.
Despite the fact that this new-arrived technology helps Facebook stay green and competitive, it also offers the company the chance to save a significant amount of money, twice as much as the enterprise would save while only relying on PV systems.
“While often overlooked compared to traditional electricity demands, corporate campuses and other community-based facilities all require large amounts of hot water on a daily basis."
"With Cogenra’s unique combination, the hot water and electricity components compliment one another, further optimizing energy output and returns,” concluded Almogy.
The installation of the new power-providing system will be completed by the end of the year. Despite the fact that the costs of this improvement are kept secret, officials from Cogenra say that Facebook will be able to recoup the investment in less than five years.