American industry continues to make their global operations cleaner and greener. Retail giants like Walmart and Costco are dramatically cutting waste that would have gone to landfills. E-Commerce giant, Amazon is slashing greenhouse gas emissions by buying electric vehicles. American retail, manufacturing, and technology companies are investing heavily in clean, green renewable energy.
In 2019, social media and networking service company, Facebook used 86% renewable energy to power their global operations. The company, headquartered in Menlo Park, California is on track to use 100% renewable energy in all their global data centers and offices by 2020.
Facebook latest renewable energy projects include:
- 379 MW Solar Park – Facebook is financing the construction of the Prospero Solar project, located near the town of Odesa, Texas is forecast to begin operation by year end 2020.
- 525 MW Wind Farm – Facebook has committed to buy 200 MW of the 525 MW capacity Aviator Wind project, located approximately 200 miles northwest of San Antonio, Texas. The wind farm is scheduled to be operational by September 2020.
- 300 MW Wind Farm – Facebook has committed to buy 170 MW of the 300 MW capacity Lincoln Land Wind project, located approximately 35 miles west of the state capital of Illinois, Springfield. The wind farm is scheduled to be operational by year end 2021.
- 70 MW Solar Park – Facebook has signed a power purchase agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority to buy power from a solar facility that will be built at a site approximately 135 miles southwest of Nashville, Tennessee. The solar park is scheduled to be completed in 2022.
Corporate America has been aggressively moving from fossil fuels for power to renewable energy for over a decade. Ironically, only ten state governments in America have set goals to achieve 100% renewable energy in the next twenty to thirty years. In my opinion, it is time for city, state, and federal governments in America to collaborate and learn from the private sector on how to achieve a clean, green viable economy.
Jack Kerfoot
Website – “Our Energy Conundrum”