Ecotality Life

The headline on Google News read “BT Pouring $500 Million into Wind Farms,” but I first I thought it said BP - the energy company formerly known as British Petroleum. That kind of investment wouldn’t be surprising for the energy giant, but it is an eye-opener when you realize that BT is the former British Telecom, which isn’t in the energy business.

The Business Week story explains that BT is building the wind farm with the intent that it supply a quarter of the company’s energy needs by 2016. The magazine comments that BT has “upped the ante in the green-energy stakes .” How? Because, Business Week says, “It is the largest corporate wind power project to be launched outside the energy sector and puts pressure on other large UK companies with large land banks to consider similar action.”

BT is one of the biggest consumers of electricity within the UK - its annual power consumption is about 0.7 per cent of the country’s total electricity usage. BT has already reduced its carbon emissions by 60 per cent since 1996 and expects the new wind farm project to help the company hit its new target of 80 per cent by 2016.

BT has identified three sites it already owns for possible wind farm projects, according to the company’s press release.

Hanif Lalani, BT Group Finance Director, said: “There is a pressing need for industry to cut carbon in ways that make business sense. BT has already achieved a 60 per cent reduction in its carbon emissions, and is committed to reducing them further to 80 per cent by 2016. Our wind energy plans play an important part in reaching that target.

“Broadband technology is already cutting the need to travel, through home working and video conferencing. This makes sense for our shareholders, and also for our staff and customers who are looking to us to work in a more environmentally friendly way.”

As the technology of generating electricity from renewable sources like wind and solar gets smaller, cheaper and more efficient, I think you will see more companies adopting this kind of do-it-yourself approach to using more clean energy. For companies whose business is energy-intensive, doing so could make a very positive impact on their long-range financial prospects.

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