Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq: ADBE) and Bloom Energy Corporation announced completion of the largest commercial Bloom Energy fuel cell installation to date, designed to supply approximately one-third of the electricity required by Adobe’s downtown San Jose headquarters.
A total of 12 Bloom Energy Servers–also known as Bloom boxes–have been installed on the 5th floor of Adobe’s West Tower at the company’s headquarters campus, which is composed of three high-rise towers and a parking structure. Each server is the size of an average parking space and contains thousands of Bloom fuel cells–flat, solid ceramic squares made from a sand-like powder–which will convert air and biogas into electricity via an electrochemical process, producing zero net carbon emissions. Typically, one server generates enough power to meet the needs of approximately 100 average U.S. homes or one small office building, according to Bloom Energy.
The Bloom fuel cell installation is Adobe’s second major renewable energy installation; in December 2009, Adobe installed 20 Windspire wind turbines. Now Adobe can generate additional electricity on site, further reducing the company’s carbon footprint, lowering energy costs and mitigating power outage risks. Adobe expects to reduce its carbon footprint by approximately 121.5 million pounds over 10 years, which is the equivalent to taking 1,810 compact cars off the road annually.
Adobe plans to run the fuel cells on methane recovered from landfills–a biogas that is more expensive on the market, but achieves additional carbon reductions for the company.
Adobe also is the world’s first commercial enterprise to achieve
four platinum certifications under the U.S. Green Building Council’s
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design LEED(R) program.
"Adobe has long been a leader in setting the bar for environmental sustainability in Silicon Valley," said Stu Aaron, vice president of marketing and product management, Bloom Energy. "With its significant installation of Bloom Energy Servers, the company can now enjoy a smarter, localized energy source that will both reduce its carbon impact and its electricity costs. We’re fortunate to work with companies that embrace responsible power consumption and make energy innovation a critical part of their business strategy."
The Bloom box uses solid oxide fuel cell technology. Bloom Energy emerged from stealth operations in February of this year. The company already has numerous big-name clients including Bank of America (NYSE: BAC), The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG).
The fuel cell market is forecast to reach $598 million in 2010 and then grow to $1.22 billion by 2014, according to a recent market study.
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