Intel's solar installations in Folsom, Calif., and Chandler, Ariz., part of the semiconductor manufacturer's plan to build several solar projects in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Oregon, are now up and running. Combined, the solar projects, consisting of ground and roof-mounted solar electric facilities, are expected to generate about 2.8 million watts of power, according to an Intel blog.
Intel's Michael Jacobson says the Folsom solar installation is the chip maker's biggest solar site to date and the largest non-industrial solar site in the Sacramento Municipal Utility District service area. The solar installation spans 5.5 acres and will provide 25 percent of the building's peak energy demands, producing more than 1.5 megawatts annually.
Intel's Chandler solar roof system will generate approximately 10 percent of the building's energy peak demand.
Jacobson says SolarCity managed the installation of the photovoltaic array at the Folsom site, and is also the project manager on Intel's solar projects at seven other U.S. sites.
The Intel Ocotillo, Ariz., campus will include solar support structures, providing comparable energy savings achieved by the Chandler campus.
Intel plans to install kiosks in each solar site lobby to educate employees about the company's energy efforts, along with showing real-time information on electricity generated from these systems.
In 2010, Intel was named the number one purchaser of green power in the U.S. by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the third year in a row and received its second consecutive EPA Partner of the Year Awards.