Cox Enterprises said that it has become the majority investor in a $25m partnership that created four solar farms in the US states of Georgia and Florida.
The project is part of the company’s national Cox Conserves sustainability program, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last year. The program has long employed new sustainable technologies and programs to create environmental solutions and create new business ventures.
Cox Enterprises environmental sustainability assistant vice president Steve Bradley said: “This is just one of many Cleantech initiatives that will help us meet our goal of leaving the world in a better place for future generations.
“Cox has a long history of being aggressive and methodical with respect to driving positive environmental change.”
In total, the newly installed 42,000 solar panels harness enough energy from the sun to produce 13 megawatts of power. That is enough renewable energy to prevent nearly 14,000 tons of carbon from entering the environment each year, or the equivalent of taking 3,300 cars off roads.
The four project sites represent the company’s second partnership with PEC Velo, and are a part of 34 total solar PV projects Cox has completed in the past decade.
Since the launching of Cox Conserves, Cox Enterprises has invested more than $116 million toward enhancing the efficiency of its operations, improving facilities to save energy and reduce waste and supporting environmental nonprofits. The company has also offset 93,000 tons of carbon.
Cox uses solar energy and energy efficiency in its operations and incentivizes employees who choose to use solar. As a way to help propel these efforts, the company invested in alternative energy in 17 states: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
The farms in Georgia are located in Douglasville, approximately 20 miles west of Atlanta; Cairo in Southwest Georgia, and Winder (west of Atlanta).
The fourth, and largest farm of the four, located in Jacksonville, Florida, uses an advanced single-axis tracking system designed to allow the solar panels to track the sun as it travels across the sky from sunrise to sunset. The tracking system allows the solar farm to be 30 percent more efficient than fixed-tilt solar farms.
Bradley said: “In Douglasville, we’ve received great feedback from residents who are thrilled about how the property is being used.
“At Cox, our commitment to environmental sustainability is enduring and we aim to accelerate our efforts through more and larger investments in the near future.”
Source: Company Press Release.