Energy Innovators Honored Today by Silicon Valley Power: Santa Clara
Businesses and University Set Trend in Energy Savings and Green Power

June 29, 2009

Three Santa Clara businesses and Santa Clara University, who together saved over 8.57 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity last year, have won Silicon Valley Power (SVP) Energy Innovator Awards for their efforts in 2008. Two of the winners also purchased or generated another 11.3 million kWh of renewable energy.

Silicon Valley Microelectronics, Inc., Santa Clara University, Yahoo!, and Equinix Operating Co., will be honored today (June 29, 2009) at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG) Energy Summit at Stanford University. The combined energy savings of the winners could power nearly 1,400 homes for a year and prevented release of over 6.2 million pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

SVP held its second annual Energy Innovator competition to recognize small and large companies implementing extraordinary measures to reduce energy consumption while utilizing “green” power and renewable energy resources. Winners in each of the categories of Environmental Innovator, Energy Efficiency Partner and Green Power Champion will be honored.

The Environmental Innovator award is given for comprehensive efforts to support energy efficiency and renewable energy. In the small business (under 100 Santa Clara employees) category, Silicon Valley Microelectronics, Inc., a distributor to the semiconductor and solar industries, installed a 50-kilowatt photovoltaic system that provided 57 percent of its 2008 energy needs in its Santa Clara plant. Company-wide efforts to reduce energy usage included a lighting retrofit that annually saves 20,000 kWh; upgrading air conditioning equipment; and replacing old computers with energy-efficient laptop computers.

The large organization (over 100 Santa Clara employees) Environmental Innovator winner is Santa Clara University. The university completed its first comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions inventory and identified buildings in which lighting and heating upgrades resulted in significant energy use reduction. Other energy-related strategies in 2008 included painting the Support Services building with highly-reflective exterior paint that is expected to reduce cooling costs by 20 percent. SCU also implemented a campus program to utilize smart power strips to save electricity.

The Energy Efficiency Partner award is given to organizations for attention to energy efficiency and participating in SVP rebate programs. In the large business category, Yahoo! partnered with SVP to receive a $250,000 rebate while employing new adaptive cooling technology in 8,000 square feet of raised floor data center space. The six-month pilot project reduced energy use by 31 percent. Yahoo! also purchased wind power equivalent to preventing over 630 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.

The other Energy Efficiency Partner winner is Equinix Operating Co., Inc., whose Santa Clara data center received nearly $1 million in SVP rebates for its energy efficiency measures. Air conditioning technology, lighting scheme, and a modern building management system saved over 4.77 million kWh of electricity in 2008, enough energy to power 800 homes.

The overall Green Power Champion award, given to the company with the most innovative and successful approach to its commitment to green power purchases and other renewable energy programs, is Santa Clara University. SCU last year bought renewable energy equivalent to the power generated by 3.5 wind turbines, or 11.25 million kWh of electricity. The renewable power purchase prevented the release of over 4,410 tons of CO² into the atmosphere. In addition, the university has a 50 kilowatt photovoltaic system providing power to one of its buildings.

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