Intel ups the ante on green power
By Erik Siemers
Business Journal Staff Writer
Already the nation's largest buyer of green power, Intel Corp. on Tuesday said it plans to buy 2.5 billion kilowatt hours worth of renewable energy credits this year, a 75 percent increase over 2010.
Intel's planned renewable energy credit purchases would equate to more than 85 percent of the Santa Clara, Calif.-based chip-maker's estimated electricity needs in the United States this year.
The credits, referred to as RECs, are considered the currency of the renewable energy world. The credits, also called green tags or renewable energy certificates, are traded as commodities. Each represents one megawatt-hour of renewable energy placed on the power grid.
The company first bought RECs in 2008, becoming the nation's largest green power-buyer with 1.3 billion kilowatt hours. That grew to 1.43 billion kilowatts in 2010. Intel also signed on as an early participant in a new water restoration certificate program promoted by Bonneville Environmental Foundation.
This year's purchase, according to the company, is the equivalent of offsetting carbon dioxide emissions from electricity used to power 218,000 average American homes or around 202 million gallons of consumed gasoline.
In addition to buying RECs, Intel last year completed eight solar energy projects at its plants in four states. Among them were two 400-kilowatt systems atop raised support structures within the parking lots of its Jones Farm and Ronler Acres campuses in Hillsboro.
The new Oregon projects supplement a $800,000 project on the roof of a Jones Farm building that was energized in December 2008.
All eight of Intel's U.S. solar projects were completed and are operated by Foster City, Calif.-based SolarCity. The two Hillsboro projects were built with panels purchased from Massachusetts-based Evergreen Solar Inc., a company in the news lately because of its plans to abandon a Massachusetts plant in favor of Chinese manufacturing.
Intel's REC purchases will be handled by Sterling Planet, a national supplier of renewable energy and energy efficiency services based in Georgia.
esiemers@bizjournals.com | 503.219.3418
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