Commercial, Industrial, Solar, Sourcing Renewables  -  April 20, 2017

Cisco inks 20-year solar PPA for California HQ

Cisco Systems Inc. has entered into a 20-year power purchase agreement for electricity and renewable energy credits associated with a 20-MW solar project in California. 

The PPA will allow the technology conglomerate to increase the amount of clean energy used to power its headquarters in San Jose, Calif., according to an April 20 announcement from NRG Energy, which recently completed construction of the Blythe II solar facility. Cisco's investment in the project will help it to meet its 2017 sustainability goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% and use renewable energy for at least a quarter of its power needs every year. 

"Solar PPAs like this help us meet our sustainability goals, while adding more renewable energy to the grid," Cisco Senior Vice President of employee services Janet Ramey said in a statement. "We will continue to evaluate opportunities to incorporate low- and no-carbon energy sources into our operations."

Toward its goal of using renewables for 25% of its energy use, Cisco has been progressing on a four-year "green projects" program that has already resulted in the deployment of more than 450 such projects with a net present value of $69 million over 10 years, according to the company's most recent corporate social responsibility report. 

The Blythe II project is one of the ways Cisco is incorporating renewables into its energy portfolio. Cisco also purchases renewable energy credits and operates several onsite solar PV systems while reducing the amount of energy needed in its real estate portfolio through energy efficiency projects.

The project sits on a 150-acre parcel in eastern Riverside County, Calif., and comprises 96,000 solar panels.

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