Verizon announced an agreement to install Bloom Energy fuel cell systems at three of its California-based locations: two call-switching centers in Los Angeles and San Francisco and a data center in San Jose. Bloom Energy’s fuel cells are expected to generate more than 16 million kilowatt hours of electricity for Verizon in California.
The installation is part of Verizon’s plan, announced in April, to invest $100 million in a solar and fuel cell energy project that will help power 19 of the company’s facilities in California and six other states across the country: Arizona, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and North Carolina.
Much of the business for the massive project is going to Bloom’s California rival ClearEdge, with solar also part of the mix. California companies get tax incentives for using the technology, a factor that may have played a role in the decision to include Bloom.
Bloom is building a production site in Newark as it works to expand its markets. Bloom cells are already at work feeding power into the Delmarva Power system. The higher costs of the power are paid for by Delmarva customers.
When completed next year, the project will enable Verizon to generate more than 90 million kilowatt hours of its own green energy annually. The project will also eliminate more than 15,000 metric tons of CO2 annually, which is equivalent to the CO2 emissions from more than 1.6 million gallons of gasoline.
“Bloom is aligned with Verizon in the belief that the world’s biggest challenges deserve bigger solutions,” said Matt Ross, chief marketing officer, Bloom Energy.
