We also look at the renewable
technology that is available in a given
area that could produce the most energy
at the best installed cost. This could
include consideration of local or national
government subsidies available.
SB: Wind power seems to be
the prevalent form of renewable
energy at SC Johnson – what's the
reason(s) behind this?
KS: We use a number of
renewable technologies around
the globe, which have helped us to reduce
our global greenhouse gas emissions by
42% compared with our 2000 baseline.
Today, 30% of our global energy usage
comes from renewable energy.
Every one of our renewable projects
takes into account a wide range of
factors and technologies – government
incentives, cost of grid electricity, actual
cost of renewable energy delivery to the
site, future forecasting of energy prices
and cost versus environmental return.
Solar panels, for example, may seem
like a good option, but when you really
weigh the environmental factors, there
are potential issues. For example, some
contain chemicals that make safe disposal
after use problematic. And the large area
required for solar panels can disrupt local
wildlife and migration patterns.
We've found that wind power has, in a
number of cases, not only helped us to
achieve our sustainability objectives, but
has proved to be the most commercially
viable. For example, we've found that
wind energy tends to be about two
to three times less expensive per kWh
produced than for solar PV. So, the
Return on Investment (ROI) for a wind
turbine product tends to be much better
than that for a solar project of similar
capacity.
SB: SC Johnson has invested in
just one solar project (Shanghai).
Will you be using more solar in the future?
Q&A Kelly Semrau, SC Johnson 2/4
Q
A
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A global SC Johnson team meets monthly
to evaluate new and emerging renewable
energy technologies
