NRG Renew to develop 20 MW solar plant for Cisco’s San Jose headquarters
NRG Renew, a wholly owned subsidiary of NRG Energy, has announced plans to develop a 20 MW solar energy facility that will generate clean, reliable solar power for delivery to Cisco's San Jose headquarters in California (USA).
Located in the Sonoran Desert near the border between Arizona and California, the planned site for the solar plant has been under development by NRG since 2010 for its Solar Blythe II project. The 153-acre parcel, with average temperatures of 32.2ºC or higher for almost half the year, will be converted into the 20 MW solar installation for Cisco's San Jose headquarters (situated roughly 80 km south-east of San Francisco).
The electricity generated by the plant will be sold to Cisco under a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), with commercial operation scheduled to begin by the end of 2016.
The photovoltaic (PV) technology to be installed on the site requires no fuel and minimal water. The energy generated will be equivalent to the power needed to serve roughly 14,000 homes and will offset 102,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually.
Tom Doyle, President and CEO of NRG Renew, has commented:
"Partnerships with industry leaders like Cisco are a key part of our vision for a clean energy future because they reinforce just how integral renewable energy is to the everyday nature of business. We are proud to work with Cisco to develop unique renewable solutions that help them reach their sustainability goals."
Cisco's Global Energy and Sustainability Leader, Ali Ahmed, gave the following statement:
"Enabling a diverse energy supply through low-carbon and renewable sources is key to meeting Cisco's energy goals set forth in 2013. 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."
With the goal of using renewable sources for at least 25% of its electricity needs by 2017, Cisco has already installed approximately 2 MW of solar capacity at various facilities over the past two years, including a new system in Boxborough, Massachusetts.
