Applied Materials goes with solar power at Calif. facility

Applied Materials Inc., a global leader in nanomanufacturing technology solutions for the electronics industry, announced March 15 that it will install more than 1.9 megawatts of solar power generation capability at its research campus in Sunnyvale, Calif. This is believed to be the largest solar power installation on an existing corporate facility in the United States and will be rolled out in three phases.

“When the project is complete, we will have a silent, non-polluting 1.9-megawatt power plant on what is currently open roof space and parking areas, and a great hedge against future energy cost increases,” said Mike Splinter, president and CEO of Applied Materials. “As we pursue our strategy to significantly drive down the overall solar cost-per-watt we feel it is important to lead through example and that installations of this size will help lower consumer cost and spur overall market growth.”

Applied Materials will start installing panels later this year that use a variety of state of the art solar technologies. Once completed in 2008, Applied Materials’ system will generate over 2,330 megawatt hours annually – the equivalent of powering 1,400 homes.

In 2006, Applied Materials added to its commitment to the environment by announcing its entry into the solar photovoltaic equipment market. The company’s solar strategy is to bring significant change to the industry by enabling lower cost-per-watt solutions for solar cell manufacturing — with the goal of making solar power a significant alternative source of global energy. Applied Materials has reduced its overall Bay Area electricity consumption by approximately 20 percent on a normalized basis over the last couple of years as part of its commitment to dramatically reducing its carbon footprint.

To learn more about Applied Materials’ solar strategy, visit: http://www.appliedmaterials.com/news/solar_strategy.html