Becoming more energy efficient isn’t just cost effective; it’s environmentally friendly and makes the country less dependent on outside sources of energy.
Verizon and the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently signed a memorandum of understanding to develop innovative ways to reduce energy use in the information and communications technology industry. This is a first-of-its-kind agreement between an industry company and a national laboratory owned by the Energy Department.
Under the agreement, Verizon will further its goal to become more energy efficient, and will work with the laboratory on a possible blueprint for reducing energy use throughout the information and communications technology industry.
"Verizon has taken significant steps to become a greener, more energy-efficient company," said James Gowen, Verizon's chief sustainability officer. "By partnering with one of the top science and technology labs in the world, we'll be able to achieve even greater efficiencies in a cost-effective fashion. We're very excited about this opportunity."
The laboratory and Verizon will work together and share technical expertise in several areas:
- Energy efficiency and energy management at Verizon's buildings and facilities, including data centers.
- Advancement of smart grid technologies and best practices, including energy and communication technologies in homes and buildings.
"Innovation and application of energy-saving technologies in a way that makes sense in the marketplace are vital to improving the nation's economy and environment," said Dan Arvizu, director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. "NREL's collaboration with Verizon offers a variety of possibilities for using clean energy and improving energy efficiency in a large and meaningful way."
The information and communications technology industry plays an important role in reducing energy consumption in other industries. Verizon's global network, for example, is the platform on which energy-saving services like video conferencing, smart grid technology and home automation are made possible. In the last 20 years, every extra kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed by information and communications technology equipment has saved the U.S. economy 10 kilowatts of energy on average, according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.
Verizon has been named to several lists for sustainability, corporate ethical standards and social responsibility, including the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, Newsweek Global Green 100, Maplecroft Climate Innovation Inde, FTSE4Good Index, Ethibel Sustainability Index and Calvert Large Cap Value Fund.
