FedEx to Build California's Largest
Corporate Solar Power System on FedEx Facility in Oakland
MEMPHIS,Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 18,
2004--FedEx Corp. (NYSE:FDX) and the City of Oakland today announced
that FedEx Express will construct California's largest corporate
solar electric system atop its hub at Oakland International Airport.
The 904-kilowatt solar array will provide approximately 80 percent
of the peak load demand for the company's Oakland facility, which
employs 1,700 people. Completion is expected in May 2005.
"With this project, FedEx will deliver
more environmental innovation to California," said Mitch
Jackson, managing director, corporate and international
environmental programs, FedEx Express. "From hybrid electric
delivery trucks to solar power, we are proud to lead our industry in
committing to real, practical ways to reduce pollution, conserve
fossil fuels, and contribute to a greener world."
"FedEx is proving that solar power
works for business," said Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown.
"Thanks to the vision shown by FedEx, we're adding nearly one
megawatt of zero-pollution electric generating capacity to Oakland.
With this project, we're well on our way to my administration's goal
of adding five megawatts of solar power in Oakland by the end of
2005." The project also supports the environmental
sustainability goals of the Port of Oakland, which hosts the FedEx
Express hub facility.
FedEx's solar generation system will cover
81,000 square feet on the roofs of two buildings. Sunlight will be
converted directly into electricity by 5,769 photovoltaic modules,
comprised of more than 300,000 solar cells from Sharp, the world's
leading producer of solar technology. In addition to generating
electricity, the solar panels help insulate the buildings, reducing
their heating and cooling costs.
The global supply chain capabilities of
FedEx will contribute to keeping the project on schedule. FedEx
Express will fly the solar cells, manufactured in Japan, to Sharp's
assembly facility in Memphis, Tennessee, to be assembled into
modules. FedEx Freight will then truck the assembled modules to the
Bay Area.
The Oakland solar project will be designed
and built by Berkeley-based PowerLight Corporation, leading
manufacturer and supplier of large-scale solar electric systems and
energy efficiency services. PowerLight's local solar projects
include the Moscone Center in San Francisco.
The electricity generated by the FedEx
Oakland solar electric system will be the equivalent used by more
than 900 homes during the daytime.
The Oakland solar project is the second
major FedEx environmental innovation in California this year. In
Sacramento in March, FedEx Express became the first company to make
a long-term market commitment to develop and use hybrid electric
delivery trucks, developed in partnership with Environmental Defense
and Eaton Corporation. The FedEx OptiFleet E700 diesel-electric
hybrid trucks will be rolled out in additional U.S. cities later
this year.
About FedEx
FedEx Corp. provides customers and
businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation,
e-commerce and business services. With annual revenues of $26
billion, the company offers integrated business applications through
operating companies competing collectively and managed
collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently
ranked among the world's most admired and trusted employers, FedEx
inspires its more than 240,000 employees and contractors to remain
"absolutely, positively" focused on safety, the highest
ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers
and communities. For more information, visit www.fedex.com.
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CONTACT: FedEx
Sandra Munoz, 901-434-7781
smunoz@fedex.com
or
Office of the Mayor, City of Oakland
T.T. Nhu, 510-238-6903
ttnhu@oaklandnet.com
or
Port of Oakland
Rosemary Barnes, 510-563-2892
rbarnes@portoakland.com
or
PowerLight
Susan DeVico, 415-434-8220
sdevico@powerlight.com
or
Sharp
Dave Fogelson, 201-529-8680
FogelsoD@sharpsec.com
KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA TENNESSEE
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: ENERGY GOVERNMENT AIRLINES
TRANSPORTATION
ENVIRONMENT
SOURCE: FedEx
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