With dual energy production – heat and power – the installation will be a rooftop feature of Facebook's renovated fitness center, to serve upwards of 6,000 employees in the coming years.
While Facebook is first in its class of Silicon Valley giants to embrace this new breed of hybrid solar, it's one of several solar investments among tech and digital heavyweights looking to improve their sustainability profile and reduce operating costs.
With returns expected in less than five years, Facebook's solar cogeneration will be far more powerful than traditional PV panels currently seen around town. In addition to onsite electricity production, the solar cogen system will displace more than 60 percent of the building's natural gas needs.
