New Solar Panel System to Power Bell Labs Campus

By the end of April, a state-of-the-art, ground-mounted solar power system will be completed on the historic Bell Labs campus of Alcatel-Lucent in Murray Hill that will generate 1.2-megawatts of electricity  and approximately $2.5 million in cost savings to the company over the next 15 years. That’s enough electricity to power 200 average New Jersey homes annually.

This unique project brings together ConEdison Development and Sunpower Corporation in a collaborative agreement with Alcatel-Lucent, whereby SunPower will design and install the array system of more than 3,700 solar panels which follow the sun’s daily movement and capture its energy producing rays. Con Edison Development, who will lease the land from Alcatel-Lucent, will also own and operate the system and allow Alcatel-Lucent to buy back electricity from ConEdison at a considerably reduced rate.

“Solar power makes good sense today for utilities, business and homes in New Jersey, and is complemented by attractive incentives provided by the state,” said Jim Pape, president of SunPower’s residential and commercial business group.

Ironically, it was Bell Labs that pioneered the development of solar power technology in 1954 by creating the first solar panels to power phone lines for rural American farmers.  In fact, 3,600 Bell Solar battery cells powered the world’s first communications satellite, Telstar I, in 1962. Solar cells continue to help power satellites, space vehicles, the International Space Station and the Mars Rover.

Today, Alcatel-Lucent is leading the way to utilize alternative energy solutions to power its facilities around the world.  According to U.S Environmental Protection Agency estimates, the new solar system in Murray Hill will offset the production of more than 25,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions over a 30 year period, which is equivalent to removing more than 8,550 cars from New Jersey’s highways.

“Alcatel-Lucent has made a serious commitment to environmental sustainability, and this is one step we are taking to honor that commitment,” said Jeong Kim, president of Bell Labs.

Michael Davis, senior real estate manager for Alcatel-Lucent who is overseeing the project, said "the corporate goal was to reduce carbon emissions by 50 percent and explore the use of other methods of using renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power to help reach that goal.”

Located on a six acre “front lawn” of the sprawling 200-acre Bell Labs site off Mountain Avenue in Murray Hill, the solar power array will be eventually hidden by decorative fencing, well-positioned trees, native shrubs and other plantings.

“We coordinated our site planning efforts with input from the local town planning authorities from New Providence and Berkeley Heights. In addition, we were careful in laying out the system on an open grass field to avoid trees being cut,” Davis said.

With the escalating costs and environmental dangers involved in extracting fossil fuels from the planet, the need for renewable sources of energy like solar, wind and geothermal, are more vital than ever.

According to the International Energy Agency, by 2050 nearly half the world’s energy needs will be supplied by renewable sources like solar power. 

“Around the country and the world, forward–looking corporations are bolstering their commitment to the environment by turning to renewable energy sources,” said Mark Noyes, vice president of ConEdison Development. “We are proud to be working with SunPower to help Alcatel Lucent fulfill its admiral commitment to sustainability.”