US Foods has announced that nearly 85 percent of its New York City area division’s annual energy will come from solar power by July 2012.
The installation of rooftop solar panels at the warehouse in Perth-Amboy, N.J., is currently underway. The solar installation is the fourth at a US Foods distribution facility.
When completed the Perth-Amboy array will generate more than 10 million kWh annually – enough to power more than 870 average U.S. homes for a year. The system is owned by Swan Creek MPA LLC, which has contracted to supply energy to US Foods.
In other green power news, Cox Enterprises has announced the installation of five Bloom Energy fuel cells at its Cox Communications subsidiary in San Diego.
The new fuel cells in San Diego include two 200kW units that power 100 percent of one Cox Communications facility and three 200kW units that power 90 percent of another Cox building in the city.
The fuel cells join nine previous alternative energy projects by Cox in the state. Combined, Cox’s alternative energy installations in California annually prevent 15,500 tons of carbon emissions from entering the environment, the company says.