by Shane Henson — February 10, 2012—The U.S. headquarters of Deutsche Bank, one of the world’s leading financial service providers, is now substantially greener through the completion and operation of a 122.4 kW solar photovoltaic (PV) system. The roof-mounted array at its Americas’ headquarters in New York, located at 60 Wall Street, is expected to reduce the bank’s electricity consumption from the grid and to decrease carbon emissions by 100 metric tons per year.
The building is a 50-story, 745-foot tall skyscraper, occupied solely by Deutsche Bank. The PV system, which is located on the inclined south and east portions of the roof, is reportedly the largest solar PV array in Manhattan and currently the highest-elevated solar PV flat-panel array in the world, topping off at 737 feet above the ground. The installation was designed by professional engineers and has been approved by local governmental authorities, notes Deutsche Bank.
“We are firmly committed to being a leader in sustainability and innovation,” said Seth Waugh, CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas. “This project is one part of a comprehensive global program to reduce the bank’s consumption of fossil fuels and shift to more renewable sources of energy. Our goal is to neutralize the Bank’s global CO2 emissions by 2013.”
The 60 Wall Street initiative is the third solar project in North America completed by Deutsche Bank, including the two-phase installation of a 1.267 megawatt solar PV system at its Piscataway, New Jersey office. Deutsche Bank’s Piscataway solar electric system, completed in 2011, has delivered a net-zero electric building, the company reports. A fourth project of a 1.5 megawatt system is underway at Deutsche Bank’s Parsippany, New Jersey facility with planned completion later this year.
Demonstrating its commitment to sustainability, Deutsche Bank has increased its use of clean electricity from 7% to 65% globally over the last four years. In the United States and Canada, 100% of its purchased electricity is generated from wind power. The bank was recognized as a corporate pioneer and founder of the WindMade label, the first global consumer label that identifies products made with wind energy.
