KS: We use solar panels at our
Shanghai location to provide hot
water heating for operations, and we may
look at other locations for this technology.
We've also looked at photovoltaic cells,
but it's not a technology that we're
pursuing because we haven't found it to
be as cost effective as wind.
Plus, we'd need several acres in an area
for solar panels to produce the same
amount of electricity that our two wind
turbines now produce. When you look at
the technology from a complete lifecycle
perspective, we've found wind to better
meet our needs.
SB: Are you looking at any
new renewables technologies that
might be implemented in the future?
KS: We are constantly on the
look-out for new advances in
technology, and always push ourselves
to develop more innovative solutions
to improve our carbon footprint. We
have a global team in place who meets
monthly to evaluate new and emerging
technologies. We've developed solutions
ranging from using waste from a public
landfill for co-generation to using waste
husks from rice grains as a fuel source
for heating water used in mosquito coil
production. We make decisions based on
a careful understanding of what makes
the most sense for each particular SC
Johnson location. We've looked at fuel
cells, which could be useful for smaller
energy needs in locations further from
a grid or where the cost of electricity is
high relative to the cost of natural gas.
However, we haven't found them to
be the most efficient solution. Natural
gas, for example, is more feasible. At our
largest manufacturing facility, Waxdale
in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin,, we use
natural gas in our co-generation unit,
Q&A Kelly Semrau, SC Johnson 3/4
A
Q
A
We've found that wind energy tends to be
about two to three times less expensive
per kWh produced than solar PV
