Electrical equipment manufacturer goes to renewable energy for Chicago camps

Purchasing 40 kWh of renewable energy cuts S&C Electric's carbon footprint by 63 million pounds of CO2.

By Source: S+C Electric Co. August 29, 2012

S+C Electric Co. has announced that it is now purchasing electricity exclusively generated from renewable energy sources for its Chicago campus. This renewable energy purchase for approximately 40 million kWH of electricity each year will eliminate an estimated 63 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually. This roughly equates to the carbon emissions reductions that would be achieved in one year if 5,400 passenger cars were taken off the road or if 3,600 homes stopped using electricity.

S+C’s Chicago campus, the company’s largest facility, includes S+C’s global headquarters and a majority of its engineering and manufacturing operations. Roughly 1,700 S+C employees are based at this location. S+C Electric was the 2005 Plant Engineering Top Plant winner.

“S+C’s purchase of 100% renewable energy for our Chicago operations marks another step in our work to help communities worldwide transition to greener energy supplies,” said Dan Girard, Director—Business Development, Renewable Energy, S+C. “We are not only developing solutions that make it practical to connect green energy sources to the grid, we are also working to set an example through our own business practices.”

Apart from its renewable energy purchase, S+C continues to incorporate environmental best practices into its business operations. S+C is a registered Green Suppliers Network Partner, a U.S. EPA-funded network that assists manufacturers in improving business processes to increase energy efficiency and minimize waste.

“A manufacturing facility and global headquarters on one campus means a lot of power use, which increases the imperative to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions,” said John Blumenshine, vice president of facilities, S+C. “The renewable energy purchase is a significant milestone for our U.S. operations, and demonstrates our commitment to greening our business.”

S+C’s Chicago campus also officially meets the ISO 140001:2004 Environmental Management Standards. These standards provide a framework for handling an organization’s environmental policy, plans and actions, to help companies minimize the environmental impact of their operations.