NRG Energy has announced the groundbreaking ceremony of its new ultra-green grid robust corporate headquarters in Princeton, expected to be completed in 2016.
NRG’s green, co-gen- and solar-powered headquarters shows an example of its ability to develop sustainability in their facilities.
The new facility incorporates innovative resource technologies with a three-floor, 130,000 square foot headquarters, integrating a couple of renewable energy technologies and efficiency measures.
The location will incorporate, two on-site solar fields, with 765 kW of capacity; high-efficiency LED lighting combined with daylight harvesting to reduce energy use by roughly one-third and 12,000 gallons of rainwater harvesting capacity to reduce city water use by 80 percent.
In addition, it will include 30 electric vehicle charging stations with the infrastructure for EV-to-grid back-feed capability; off-grid capabilities, dual-fuel generators and combined heat and power (CHP) systems for heating and cooling and grid power with 100 percent renewable energy.
These features will reduce electricity, water and fuel use considerably. The 765 kW solar array is expected to produce some 980 MW of electricity per year, displacing 588 tons of CO2 annually, equivalent to the energy related emissions of 50 houses.
It will be developed in collaboration with Boston Properties, supported by a long-term lease, which will own the building.
The sustainability goals of NRG aim to reduce the carbon emissions 50 percent by 2030 and 90 percent by 2050 below a 2014 baseline; leverage and grow core generation capabilities in a lower carbon manner and substantially grow business.
Having already reduced the CO2 emissions by 40 percent since 2005, a clear path to further dramatic long-term reduction is seen, pursuing the multi-faceted, long term sustainable growth strategy, said, David Crane, CEO, NRG.
As the U.S. transitions to a renewables-driven, increasingly distributed, grid resilient energy system, NRG expect to be a leader both in clean energy and in converting the CO2 emissions of conventional generation from a liability to a profitable by-product, said Crane.
NRG, the second-largest conventional power generation US firm, still remains a major emitter of CO2.
These carbon reduction goals are expected to avoid approximately 3 billion tons of CO2 emissions by 2050, corresponding to seven million homes avoiding carbon emissions till 2050.
The company has already started to demonstrate lower carbon strategies with asset revitalization program and with NRG Carbon 360, carbon capture business that includes the Petra Nova project at W A Parish, southwest of Houston. With the construction of new headquarters, it will showcase the distributed energy solutions available to businesses committed to sustainability across America, said, Mauricio Gutierrez, COO, NRG.
Sabeena Wahid
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