Electronics Production |
9 Dell facilities now 100% powered by renewable energy
Dell now sources 26% of its global electricity needs from renewable energy sources, up from 20 percent in 2008.
This increase is the result of new renewable energy partnerships in the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden and Norway with utility providers Swalec, Scottish Power Energy Retail, EVH, Mainova, Telge Energi and Hafslund.
Dell now powers nine of its facilities in the United States and Europe with 100% renewable energy. The facilities are located in Bracknell and Glasgow, U.K.; Frankfurt and Halle, Germany; Oslo, Norway; Stockholm, Sweden; Round Rock, Texas; Twin Falls, Idaho and Oklahoma City, Okla.
Dell’s use of renewable energy is part of its plan to reduce its facilities’ greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2015. Dell takes a three-step approach to its reduction strategy:
- First, Dell works to operate as efficiently as possible. As a result, the company’s carbon intensity (carbon dioxide emissions in relation to revenue) is among the lowest of the Global 5001 and less than half that of its closest competitor in the technology industry.
- Next, Dell consumes renewable energy where possible. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently ranked Dell among the top five in renewable energy purchasing in its latest EPA Fortune 500 Green Power Challenge. The company’s green power use has expanded quickly since April 2008, when it announced a partnership with TXU and Waste Management to power its global headquarters campus with 100% green power.
- Finally, Dell offsets its remaining carbon impact by purchasing credible, third-party-verified renewable energy credits. This investment helped Dell become the only company in the computer industry to achieve operational carbon neutrality in August 2008, five months ahead of schedule.