Commercial | Page 145

Google has made $2.5 billion in equity commitments for renewable energy projects worldwide, according to its 2016 environmental report, which also put numbers on efforts to make its data centers as energy efficient as possible.

A new set of recommendations intended to help businesses better disclose climate-related financial risks and opportunities were released Dec. 14 by the task force launched by the Financial Stability Board and led by former New York City mayor and billionaire Michael Bloomberg.

As Wal-Mart Stores Inc. ventures farther down its somewhat long and winding road to 100% renewable energy, advancements in technologies such as energy storage and in the way it works with its utilities are accelerating its journey.

This white paper describes Google's path to achieving 100% renewable energy, discusses lessons learned and details the role of energy efficiency in getting there. It also outlines how the company will continue our efforts to accelerate the global transition to clean energy.

Through increasing its use of renewable energy and energy efficiency, apparel and footwear company VF Corp. has reduced its global carbon emissions 12% while adding 500 sites to its global operations between 2011 and 2015.

Continuing its push into the renewable energy industry, Apple Inc. will acquire a 30% stake in four wind projects from China's largest wind manufactuer.

About 30% of the total amount of distributed solar capacity in the U.S. is owned by private companies, according to data from the U.S. EIA.

Among IKEA's strategies to make its buildings more energy efficient are five U.S. fuel cell pilot programs that are expected to yield more than $1.3 million in savings each year.

Speaking at the Amazon Web Services re:Invent conference in Las Vegas, Vice President and Distinguished Engineer James Hamilton talked at length about the process and strategy of securing enough green power to reach the company's larger goal of using 100% renewable energy.