It’s not just Google going solar these days, actually, several companies have been exploring these new options and saving a bundle in the process! Hewlett Packard announced recently that it has partnered with SunPower. The new systems will be put in at the plant down in San Diego.
Microsoft has also embraced solar opportunities, and it’s been doing it since 2006, over a year before Google had them put in. General Motors is another great example of a company that has put solar energy to use at it’s corporate offices shown in the video below.
Having two parents that work at HP, several friends at Microsoft, and having worked at Google myself it’s hard to know whether this is more of a publicity race or really about profit? Are we witnessing greenwashing or do the tax-savings and environmental impact really pay off for these companies? One thing is for sure, as more companies embrace solar, the technology becomes cheaper for you and I due to economies of scale.
One company called Citizenre is in the process of building one of the largest solar plants in the world in order to lower the cost of photo voltaic converters (the stuff that powers solar panels). If successful, this business model would allow them to rent this technology to residents at the same price as an electric bill. Other companies are entering the solar leasing space so keep your eyes out for one nearby.
General Motors solar powered offices in Rancho Kookamunga video
