UPS Announces $18 Million Investment In Onsite Solar Energy, 5x Onsite Solar Growth

February 14th, 2017 by James Ayre

The shipping giant UPS will be investing around $18 million in new onsite solar photovoltaic (PV) projects expected to be completed by the end of the year in the US, according to an email sent to CleanTechnica.

The new onsite solar energy projects will increase UPS’s total onsite solar energy production capacity nearly 5-fold once completed, according to the email. Altogether, these projects will reportedly total around 10 megawatts (MW) in nameplate electricity generation capacity.

The company claims that these new projects will offset around 8,200 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year.

“Solar technology is a proven way to effectively and efficiently provide long-term power to our facilities,” stated Bill Moir, director of Facilities Procurement, UPS. “We have a significant number of facilities that are well positioned to deploy solar at scale and increase our sustainable energy options for our buildings and electric vehicles.”

The email provides further information: “Solar panels have the ability to generate electricity for more than 25 years. UPS will purchase over 26,000 solar panels during the expansion. Once installed, each building will effectively produce 50% of its daily energy use via the sun. As a result, UPS will own and operate the installations providing additional flexibility over the long term. As a company with significant engineering and construction expertise, UPS will also be taking a leadership role in both the design and implementation of these projects.”

As other reports have highlighted, no matter the political climate, corporations will be using a great deal more renewable energy (in particular, solar energy and wind energy) in the years to come since its low cost and superb predictability are a notable benefit for many (most?) corporations. Of course, some companies have led the way into this field more than others. UPS has been buying renewable electricity for longer than most.

“UPS’s investment in solar power began in 2004 in Palm Springs, California, where solar panels were installed and are still generating approximately 110 kilowatts of sustainable energy. Today, UPS also produces solar power at its facilities in Lakewood, Parsippany and Secaucus, NJ.”

In addition to onsite solar energy investments, UPS has been investing a fair amount in electric vehicle technologies in recent years, jumping into electric vans, trucks, and trikes.

Images via UPS











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