The company is aiming to set a clear course towards a clean energy future by adopting ambitious sustainability goals as part of its continued corporate growth strategy. The new, grid-resilient, headquarters building is expected to open in Princeton in 2016 and has been developed in collaboration with a long-term lease with Boston Properties which will own the building.
NRG Energy’s new sustainability goals include reduction of the company’s carbon dioxide emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and 90 percent by 2050, below a 2014 baseline. It also intends to leverage and grow its core generation capabilities in a sustainable manner while substantially growing its business and shareholder value.
“Having already reduced our CO2 emissions by 40 percent since 2005, we see a clear path to further dramatic long-term reduction as we vigorously pursue our multi-faceted, long term sustainable growth strategy” said David Crane, NRG’s CEO. “As the US transitions to a renewables-driven, increasingly distributed, grid resilient energy system, we expect to be a leader both in clean energy and in converting the CO2 emissions of our conventional generation from a liability to a profitable by-product.”
NRG Energy is the second largest conventional power generation company in the US, however it has achieved significant carbon emissions reductions in recent years despite remaining a major emitter of CO2. To accomplish its objectives, the company intends to continue its development, ownership and operation of renewable generation, carbon-capture and sequestration (CCS), energy storage and low carbon distributed energy resources. These will include distributed solar, efficient co-generation and electric vehicle networks, along with smart systems to manage them intelligently and efficiently.
The company’s new green headquarters will be powered by co-generation and solar energy and will showcase the ability of businesses to foster sustainability in their facilities while reducing their dependence on grid-power.
The three-floor, 130,000 square foot headquarters integrates a host of renewable energy technologies and efficiency measures including two on-site solar farms with around 765 kW of capacity; high-efficiency LED lighting combined with daylight harvesting to reduce indoor lighting needs; 12,000 gallons of rainwater harvesting to reduce water use by 80 percent; over 30 electric vehicle charging stations with EV-to-grid (eV2g) ‘back-feed’ capability and duel-fuel generators and combined heat and power (CHP) systems for heating and cooling. Grid power, where used, will be 100 percent renewable energy sourced through one of the company’s green retail subsidiaries.
These features will dramatically reduce electricity, water and fuel use relative to a similar-sized corporate office. The 765 kW solar array is expected to produce some 980 MWh of clean electricity per year, displacing approximately 588 tons of CO2 annually, equivalent to the energy related emissions of 50 houses. In addition to the financial and environmental benefits that come from resource efficiency, these technologies will provide an educational and inspiring workplace for more than 500 employee’s onsite.
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