Verizon becoming solar leader

August 25, 2014 | By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), Verizon is on track to become the number one solar power producer among all U.S. communications companies.

The prediction is based, in part, on Verizon's announcement that it will invest nearly $40 million to expand the on-site green energy program it launched in 2013. This year, Verizon will install 10.2 MW of new solar power systems at eight Verizon network facilities in five states -- California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York. This investment nearly doubles the amount of renewable power generated by solar energy systems installed at six Verizon facilities last year.

To date, Verizon has invested nearly $140 million in on-site green energy and is on target to deploy upwards of 25 MW of green energy upon completion of the new solar projects.

"Based on its existing solar power capacity and on-site generating systems, combined with its new solar energy expansion plans for 2014, it's clear that Verizon is on a path to become the solar-power leader in the U.S. telecom industry," said SEIA president and CEO Rhone Resch. "In fact, we project that Verizon will be among the top 20 of all companies nationwide in terms of the number of solar installations it operates, and one of the top 10 companies in the U.S. based on solar generating capacity."

Last year, Verizon exceeded its 10 MW green-energy target, and has currently deployed 14.2 MW of on-site green energy using a combination of fuel cells and solar power systems. As an early adopter of fuel cell technologies, Verizon invested in one of the largest fuel cell sites of its kind in 2005 -- helping to power a call-switching center and office building in Garden City, New York.

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