Solar Farm at SAS

In December 2008, SAS announced the activation of a one-megawatt solar farm at the Cary, NC, headquarters that generates sustainably sourced power to the area Progress Energy grid.

Covering five acres, the photovoltaic (PV) solar array was designed by SunPower Corporation and is estimated to generate 1.7 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by more than 1,600 tons annually – the equivalent of burning 167,000 gallons of gasoline.

Monitor how much energy the solar farm has generated through this real-time meter. Find out how it works and watch the solar farm's construction in this time-lapse video.

Other sustainability initiatives at SAS include a new building that broke ground in 2008, constructed to green principles. The Executive Briefing Center – to be completed in 2010 – will support Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards such as recycled materials, rainwater collection and reuse, and solar thermal heating.

SAS is also building a cloud computing facility to LEED standards for needed data-intensive customer solutions. SAS' first LEED building, SAS Canada’s headquarters in Toronto, opened in April 2006.