October 23, 2015
On September 17th, SR Inc hosted a 3rd Quarter Sustainable Business & Enterprise Roundtable (SBER) Symposium at Bloomberg’s Headquarters in New York, NY. During the Symposium, SR Inc presented on key findings from our 3rd Quarter shared research on management best practices in the Internet of Everything (IOE) & Renewables in Corporate Real Estate (CRE). For a summary of the presentation and resultant discussion, click here. SBER Member Executives Hakon Mattson of Anthem and Michael Barry of Bloomberg led in presenting on their companies’ current efforts to integrate renewable energy into their real estate portfolios.
As Director of Energy and Sustainability at Anthem, Hakon Mattson oversees the development, implementation, and reporting for all aspects of Anthem’s corporate sustainability program. Under his leadership, Anthem is taking a holistic, “all-things-considered” approach to renewable energy, currently weighing the feasibility of onsite capital projects, onsite lease or Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), and offsite PPAs for all buildings across the portfolio. Currently, Anthem is piloting a 15kW Solar Tree installation at its site in Thousand Oaks, CA. The installation serves a dual purpose, providing needed shade for an outdoor patio area while producing enough electricity to feed three Electric Vehicle Charging Stations. Not only is the installation comparable in price (after incentives) to the awnings Anthem was originally considering for the patio, but the Solar Trees offer flexibility, as they can be considered mobile assets.
Further, Anthem is in the process of negotiating a Solar PPA (SPPA) for its site in Albany, NY. This deal currently presents the best opportunity for Anthem to source grid-proximate off-site renewable energy based on the significant savings it is estimated to produce, no upfront investment, and the important level of flexibility it provides at this leased site. First, the SPPA has a 10-year term (versus the more typical 15 or 20 year terms), which includes an early termination option. It is also transferable and assignable within the Albany Load Zone, meaning Anthem can transfer the Net Metering Credit to another location within the Albany Load Zone or assign the contract to another creditworthy off-taker should the company choose to leave Albany. Anthem plans to purchase the RECs in order to capture the environmental attributes of the solar production and expects $80k-$100k/year in savings from the project.
As Sustainability Manager at Bloomberg, Michael Barry is another Member Executive helping his company to seek innovative new opportunities to source grid-proximate, off-site renewable energy. Bloomberg is directly purchasing renewable energy from a 1.5MW solar PV project located on the rooftops of two warehouses near JFK Airport in Queens, NY to power its site at 731 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan via Remote Net-Metering. The PV solar array is additional and is projected to generate 1.7 million kWh of clean energy annually. Over the term of the 10 year contract, it is expected to generate 17.1 million kWh of clean energy and keep 492 metric tonnes of CO2e out of the atmosphere. Bloomberg expects to save $53,000 in the first year of the project and approximately $800k over the 10 year contract term.
SR Inc appreciated Mr. Mattson’s and Mr. Barry’s willingness to share the progress their companies are making towards more sustainably-powered real estate portfolios. Their innovation and leadership exemplifies the key role Member-Clients are increasingly playing in their companies to make market-leading strides towards their goals for greenhouse gas emissions reductions and direct clean energy procurement.
Please find below a small selection of SR Inc Member Briefings, Reports, Guidebooks, and Tools relevant to this topic, or visit SR Inc’s Digital Library for access to a full selection of SR Inc Executive Guidance. Operating executives who are not Member-Clients, are encouraged to contact SR Inc for a courtesy copy of Member Briefings, Reports, Guidebooks or Tools to help them advance more sustainable high-performing operations and real estate.
Direct Procurement
Renewable Energy Certificates
Renewable Energy Markets
Kelsey Wallace, a Senior Sustainability Analyst at SR Inc, helps clients develop and implement strategies to integrate sustainability into their companies’ global operations and real estate portfolios – all to advance their triple bottom in an increasingly resource-constrained world. Prior to joining SR Inc, Ms. Wallace worked at The Cadmus Group, – a Boston-area based consulting firm – where she supported clients including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Green Buildings Council to promote sustainable buildings, clean energy, and safe drinking water. Ms. Wallace also devoted a year to national service with the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps, where she worked on team-based conservation and community development projects throughout the Southwest United States. Ms. Wallace has her B.A. in Environmental Studies from Connecticut College.
