SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In under six
months, SunPower (NASDAQ:SPWR) completed the installation of a
Texas-sized, 8.79-megawatt solar
system spanning across four parking garages at Toyota Motor North
America's new 100-acre headquarters in Plano, Texas. SunPower was also responsible
for the original design of the solar system.
"Toyota's new campus serves as a model for corporate
sustainability and an inspiration for others looking to reduce
their own carbon emissions and environmental footprints," said
Nam Nguyen, SunPower executive vice
president. "With SunPower's carport solutions, our experienced
design and construction teams delivered long-span, garage top solar
canopies that fully incorporate the Plano site's unique structural conditions. As
the trusted solar partner for 70 percent of the top 20 commercial
solar users nationwide, SunPower is proud to work with a
world-class company like Toyota on this groundbreaking
project."
The solar installation marks an important step toward meeting
Toyota's Environmental Challenge 2050, which aims to eliminate
carbon emissions in the company's operations. Toyota demonstrates
an increasing trend of growing renewable energy investment among
corporations, as reaffirmed by an Apex Clean Energy and GreenBiz
2017 State of Corporate Renewable Energy Procurement report.
According to the report, 84 percent of large corporate respondents
plan to be active in the renewable energy market within the next
decade to meet sustainability goals.
In an effort to achieve LEED® Platinum certification from the
U.S. Green Building Council (USBGC), Toyota designed its campus for
sustainability, focusing on energy planning for emissions
reduction, sustainable landscaping and repurposed rain water for
water conservation, and recycling.
To meet its goals in energy planning, Toyota selected SunPower
to install more than 20,000 of its high-efficiency E-Series solar
panels that produce 30 percent more energy from the same space over
the first 25 years when compared to conventional solar panels.
SunPower® E-Series panels are Cradle to Cradle Certified™
Silver which demonstrates a product's quality based on rankings
in five categories: material health, material reutilization,
renewable energy use, water stewardship, and social fairness. By
installing E-Series panels, Toyota is not only able to meet
approximately 33 percent of its on-site energy needs with solar,
but the company also had a significant advantage in reaching its
LEED® Platinum goal, achieved for its new campus as announced just
last month. Cradle to Cradle certification helps maximize
the number of LEED credits that could be earned for a solar system.
On typical commercial projects, SunPower panels help contribute up
to 35 percent of the credits required for LEED certification.
"At Toyota, we demonstrate our commitment to sustainability, our
culture of respect, and continuous improvement in everything that
we do, whether its designing a new car or our new campus," said
Doug Beebe, general manager of
Toyota's real estate and facilities/corporate security and fire
services for North America.
"Thanks in part to SunPower and their products and capabilities,
Toyota's headquarters campus achieved LEED Platinum certification –
something that we know our team and community are proud
of."
At 8.79 megawatts, Toyota's system is the Lone Star State's
largest corporate office on-site solar installation among
non-utility companies, and Toyota's fourth solar project completed
with SunPower. For more on Toyota's holistic sustainability
efforts, see SunPower's Business Feed article here.
About SunPower
As one of the world's most innovative and sustainable energy
companies, SunPower (NASDAQ:SPWR) provides a diverse group of
customers with complete solar solutions and services. Residential
customers, businesses, governments, schools and utilities around
the globe rely on SunPower's more than 30 years of proven
experience. From the first flip of the switch, SunPower delivers
maximum value and superb performance throughout the long life of
every solar system. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, SunPower has
dedicated, customer-focused employees in Africa, Asia,
Australia, Europe, and North and South America. For more information about how
SunPower is changing the way our world is powered, visit
www.sunpower.com.
SunPower's Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995, including, but not limited to, statements regarding projected
energy output, relative generating capacity, and anticipated
product performance. These forward-looking statements are based on
our current assumptions, expectations, and beliefs and involve
substantial risks and uncertainties that may cause results,
performance, or achievement to materially differ from those
expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Factors
that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are
not limited to: regulatory changes and the availability of economic
incentives promoting use of solar energy and fluctuations or
declines in the performance of our solar panels and other products
and solutions. A detailed discussion of these factors and other
risks that affect our business is included in filings we make with
the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from time to time,
including our most recent reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q,
particularly under the heading "Risk Factors." Copies of these
filings are available online from the SEC or on the SEC Filings
section of our Investor Relations website at
investors.sunpowercorp.com. All forward-looking statements in this
press release are based on information currently available to us,
and we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking
statements in light of new information or future events.
©2017 SunPower Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
SUNPOWER and the SUNPOWER logo are registered trademarks of
SunPower Corporation in the U.S. and other countries as well. LEED
PLATINUM is a trademark owned by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Cradle to Cradle Certified™ is a certification mark licensed
by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.
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SOURCE SunPower Corp.