by Shane Henson — November 16, 2011—Cogenra Solar, a provider of distributed solar cogeneration systems and renewable energy service solutions, recently announced an innovative solar cogeneration project at Facebook’s new Menlo Park campus. Producing renewable hot water and electricity, the solar cogeneration array will be integrated on the roof of Facebook’s renovated fitness center. Selected for its quick payback and dual energy production, the Cogenra array is the social media company’s first foray into solar energy at its corporate campus.
Facebook purchased and renovated the 57-acre corporate site in Menlo Park from Oracle, with the full 2,000-employee transition from its Palo Alto headquarters to be completed in December. Once commissioned, the solar cogeneration system will feed hot water and electricity directly to the sites 10,163-square-foot fitness center, powering gym equipment, lighting and showers with clean, renewable energy.
According to Cogenra Solar, the 24-module installation totals 60kW of combined electric and thermal output, which will displace more than 60 percent of the fitness centers natural gas needs, in addition to a portion of its grid-fed electricity consumption. System installation and integration into the sites facilities will be initiated by the end of the year.
Cogenra says the Facebook installation will be the first corporate campus to realize the environmental and economic benefits of solar cogeneration. By integrating proven photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal technologies into one modular and scalable package, Cogenras solution is reportedly able to generate five times the energy, three times the greenhouse gas reduction, and twice the financial savings compared to traditional photovoltaic systems. The higher energy offset and enhanced economics of the hybrid technology ensure Cogenras systems offer returns in less than five years.
Building owners and facilities managers of corporate campuses and other community-based facilities whose properties also require large amounts of hot water may benefit from working with Cogenra Solar to reap similar financial and energy savings.
