Hanging out at a Microsoft campus
One of the world’s leading corporations, Microsoft, is headquartered near Seattle, Washington, my hometown. Its actual location, Redmond, is just about 25 miles to the east of the infamously rainy city. Recently, I wondered whether Microsoft has added solar panels to any of its campuses, to offset power demands and costs. While it has yet to install solar panels in Redmond, Microsoft has gone green elsewhere.
In Spring 2006, Microsoft announced the installation of the largest solar array in Silicon Valley, California. With more than 2,200 solar tiles on the roof of its campus, the solar power system can generate 480 kilowatts (kW), or the equivalent of the energy needed to power 500 homes. A leading solar power company, SunPower, provided high-efficiency solar panels for the integration into the rooftop solar system that was designed and supplied by PowerLight, Corp. of Berkeley, California. The solar panels offer up to 50 percent more power per square foot than conventional solar technology, which can guarantee Microsoft maximum power.
To be honest, the installation was completed in part to avoid rolling blackouts that sometimes take place during summer months. But the Silicon Valley Campus (SVC) solar panels are also part of the corporation’s overall green efforts in recent years:
“Maintaining an environmentally friendly campus has always been a priority for Microsoft’s SVC. During the SVC construction phases, Microsoft consulted with the architect on ways to create a “green” design. Some of the initial design features that were implemented include the use of recycled materials in building finishes, drought-tolerant landscaping, and building management systems to proactively monitor and control energy use.”
For more information, go to solarpowerauthority.com.
While this video is not of the SVC (no videos posted on YouTube), let’s go for a quick tour of the main Redmond, Washington Microsoft campus:
Microsoft data center under construction
More recently, Microsoft announced its plan to install solar panels at its San Antonio, Texas data center in 2008. PV power from the panels will generate enough energy to supplement the 50 megawatts that it secured from CPS Energy. As in Silicon Valley, solar power is just a portion of the overall “greenprint” that Microsoft has for its data centers. But within a few weeks of its announcement, Microsoft said:
“While Microsoft discussed plans to install solar panels at the San Antonio data center during Monday’s media event, the system won’t be operational in the near future. “While it is indeed sunny quite a bit of the time in San Antonio, the economics for solar are not yet a good fit for this facility,” said Mike Manos, general manager of Global Foundation Services for Microsoft. ”As solar technology advances, we anticipate that solar may become a more viable option within a few years. As a result, we have enabled our building to accept the technology and weight of solar panels when the technology matures.”
Nonetheless, I suspect that Microsoft will continue to work towards solar powered options for its vast operations. And, I am also willing to bet that even in the cloudy Seattle Area, Bill Gates will agree that solar power is a clean, green way to go for the corporation. Being an easily visible name is a benefit and burden to corporations like MIcrosoft. Fortunately, the green example it can set can likely spur many more dollars to be wisely invested in a solar future!
Tags: microsoft campuses, microsoft solar panels, solar panels
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