Dell HQ goes 100pc green


11 Apr 2008

Dell’s entire 2.1 million square-foot global headquarters in Austin, Texas which employs over 10,000 people, is now running entirely on green power coming from wind farms, as well as waste-to-energy conversion.

Paul Bell, president of Dell Americas, said that now was the time for the technology industry to lead the way in achieving carbon neutrality through energy efficient processes like recycling and energy conservation,as well as utilising renewable power sources.

“Powering an entire campus with green power is an important step in becoming the greenest technology company on the planet and the right thing to do for our shared earth,” said Bell.

“At the same time, we’re using green technology to drive operating expense down.”

40pc of the headquarter’s green power is coming from a gas-to-energy plant at a community landfill run by US recycling firm Waste, while the rest is sourced from wind farms run by TXU Energy.

“We’re very pleased that our Austin Community Landfill’s gas-to-energy project will play a key role in Dell’s commitment to using renewable energy. This project is part of our company’s environmental initiative to increase the production of waste-based energy.

“Today, we create enough energy for the equivalent of one million homes each year and by 2020 we expect to double that output, producing enough energy for the equivalent of more than two million homes,” said David Steiner, chief executive officer of Waste Management Inc.

This green conversion is expected to give Dell almost $2bn in annual savings on operating costs, while cutting CO2 equivalent emissions by nearly 12,000 tonnes a year.

Dell has always been at the forefront in pushing the green envelope: in February of this year it became the first ever computer company to join the not-for-profit Climate Group, vowing carbon neutrality for its company facilities, manufacturing operations and business-related air travel.

By Marie Boran