HSBC yesterday announced that it has completed work on its project to install 617 square metres of solar panels on the roof of its Canary Wharf office tower, an initiative the company claims will generate enough electricity to power 20 homes a year.
The company said the installation of the 422 monocrystalline photovoltaic panels made it the tallest corporate headquarter building in Europe to use solar panels.
It added that the panels, which were provided by electronics giant Sharp, had been fitted to withstand wind speeds of up to 140 miles per hour and are expected to generate more than 1.5m kilowatt hours of energy over the building's lease.
The company refused to divulge the cost of the project, but a spokeswoman for the bank insisted that the installation was not a publicity stunt and that the company was happy with the return on investment it will receive from the panels.
She added that the project was part of a wider $90m (£45m) environmental efficiency programme that has already seen the company cut energy use at its headquarters building by seven per cent since 2004, or 20 per cent per full-time employee.
Wind turbines on the roof and fuel cells in the basement form just part of $350m project 25 Jun 2009
No opposition to planning application this time 16 Feb 2009
Report claiming solar panels take over 100 years to recoup their value is just plain wrong, say manufacturers 05 Sep 2008
Slate-like appearance good enough for Grade 1 Listed building 30 Jul 2008
Offshore wind, marine energy and biomass developers to receive financial boost this April Fool's day 30 Mar 2009
Survey of public sector IT managers reveals deep concern over ability to deliver on carbon-neutral targets 03 Jul 2009
Fresh funding will provide new wave energy research equipment and support research 03 Jul 2009
EPA hints it could soon raise efficiency bar for routers, modems and storage systems 03 Jul 2009
More news
From record-breaking solar panels to the International Renewable Energy Agency's new home, we round up the top stories from the past week 03 Jul 2009
Well, I hope they got a no win, no fee deal. I don't like being cynical (it's more of a congenital thing)... 03 Jul 2009
Recycling waste heat is nothing new, so why has the computer industry not kept up? 01 Jul 2009 More in-depth
Post your comment
Send an email to the Business Green editor at feedback@businessgreen.com
