Get the latest delivered to your inbox
Privacy Policy

Now Reading

Suzlon global headquarters 'One Earth' receives 'LEED Platinum' certification

Suzlon global headquarters 'One Earth' receives 'LEED Platinum' certification

Published 04-29-10

Submitted by Edelman


  • New corporate HQ achieves top sustainability certification, making it one of the world's greenest

  • Campus powered 100 percent by renewable energy

Pune/Washington, D.C.: Suzlon Energy Limited (SEL), the world's third-largest* and India's largest wind turbine manufacturer accepted on Thursday, April 29, the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) Platinum award for its new corporate headquarters in Pune, Maharashtra, India.

Her Excellency Meera Shankar, the Ambassador of India to the United States, awarded the LEED rating citation to Suzlon at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., jointly organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the US India Business Council (USIBC).

The LEED standards - a green environment rating system complying with the standards of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) - specify stringent norms to be met for the greenest, most energy-efficient and high-performance buildings. Started in the U.S., LEED certification continues to gain international traction. CII has been at the front of promoting LEED standards in India, having established the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), in partnership with the Government of Andhra Pradesh, Godrej Foundation & USAID, with technical cooperation with the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). Suzlon's 'One Earth' campus is among the first 100 sites in India to receive LEED certification.

Developed on an area of 41,000 square meters (10.13 acres) with a capacity to house 2,300 people, One Earth ranks among the largest green building projects in India. The facility sets new benchmarks in energy efficiency in all aspects of engineering and construction. This whole-building approach to sustainability helped secure the highest LEED rating by focusing on key areas such as human and environmental health; sustainable site development; efficient water; energy and waste methods, materials and resource selection; and indoor environmental quality and innovation. This approach has also made it possible to construct the facility at a lower cost compared to other facilities of comparable size, ultimately leading to a lower lifecycle cost and smaller environmental footprint in the long term.

Specific features of Suzlon 'One Earth' include:


  • Low-energy materials - More than 70 percent of materials used in the interiors have a reduced carbon footprint. They ensure higher recycled content, have lower embodied energy and are rapidly renewable.

  • Renewable energy-based exterior lighting - LED street lighting is powered entirely by renewable energy-based systems located on the site thus reducing approximately 25 percent of the total lighting load. Ninety percent of regularly occupied spaces have daylight exposure, thereby saving on artificial lighting.

  • Daylight & occupancy sensors - Daylight sensors are used in the workstation area for maximum use of artificial lighting. Occupancy sensors control task lighting in unoccupied workstations ensuring savings of about 20 percent of energy costs.

  • Efficient ventilation system - Jet fans installed in the basements intermittently push out stale air & bring in fresh air, saving 50 percent energy as compared to ducted basement ventilation system.

  • Storm & rainwater management system - Channels all rain received into a controlled flow, preventing soil erosion and facilitating removal of silt.

Speaking about the award, Mr. Tulsi Tanti, Chairman of Suzlon Group, said, "This award underlines Suzlon's commitment to sustainability. I believe that 'One Earth' - named as a tribute to Earth's unique existence as a self-replenishing eco-system - will be inspiration and proof to others that it is possible, if we are really determined, to create a sustainable world for our future."

Commenting on the green building movement in India, Ms. Meera Shankar, Ambassador of India to the United States, remarked, "The issue of climate change poses a serious challenge for India. While meeting this challenge in ways consistent with our national development goals, we also see this as an opportunity to leapfrog in adoption of low carbon intensive technologies and building national competitiveness through resource efficiency. The Green Building Movement, led by industry and the Energy Conservation Building Codes, initiated by the Government of India, are enabling 20-30 percent reduction in energy consumption in the building sector. India's commitment and actions speak for themselves."

NOTES:
* Suzlon and REpower, if taken together, stand as the world's third leading wind turbine supplier group in terms of market share. Market share of 9.8 percent is derived from BTM Consult ApS World Market Update 2009, ranking Suzlon with 6.4 per cent of global market share and REpower with 3.4 percent of global market share.

Suzlon One Earth was conceived, managed and executed by Synefra Engineering & Construction Ltd., a Tanti Group company. With more than a decade of execution expertise, the company is a leader in providing sustainability-focused Innovative Integrated Infrastructure Solutions to different industrial business segments

About Suzlon Energy Limited:
Suzlon ranked as the world's third* leading wind turbine supplier in terms of market share in 2009. Suzlon has its corporate offices in Pune, India and company's global spread reflects in its projects and markets portfolio - extending across Asia, Australia, Europe and North and South America. Suzlon is a highly vertically integrated wind turbine manufacturer with manufacturing capability along the full value chain - from components to complete wind turbine systems. Please visit www.suzlon.com.

About Suzlon Wind Energy Corporation:
Suzlon Wind Energy Corporation focuses on the North American market and is a subsidiary of Suzlon Energy Limited of Pune, India, the third largest global wind turbine supplier.* The headquarters for North America is based in Chicago, Illinois, with sales and service offices located across the U.S. Suzlon Wind Energy Corporation, when combined with REpower,* is ranked fourth in U.S. market share for 2009, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). Together, our sites include more than 700 turbines installed in the U.S. and totaling 1,450 megawatts (MW) of capacity across 20 states. Suzlon also manufactures wind turbine blades for its S88-2.1 MW machine in Pipestone, Minnesota.

About CII/ IGBC:
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) works to create and sustain an environment conducive to the growth of industry in India, partnering industry and government alike through advisory and consultative processes. In 2001, CII established the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), in partnership with the Government of Andhra Pradesh, Godrej Foundation & USAID, with technical cooperation with the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). The 21st century green building movement in India started with the construction of the CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Center (CII-GBC), India's first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) - Platinum rated green building project and ushered in a wave of over 550 green projects across the country. The vision of IGBC is to make India one of the world leaders in Green Buildings by 2012.

Edelman

Edelman

For more than 50 years Edelman has built a reputation known for breakthrough strategy and programming that delivers valuable results to our clients. Our professionals across our global network strive to bring the highest level of personal and professional integrity to the execution of their job, every day. As a global organization it is all the more important that we be unified in all facets of how Edelman does business. Our expertise and role in the formation and dissemination of messages to all stakeholders is of value across the spectrum of traditional media as well as increasingly called upon by numerous new media options. Maintaining high standards of conduct is not achieved solely by good intentions. It is achieved by clarity in knowing the firm's Missions and Values. In turn this understanding leads to Edelman's Principles and its Code of Conduct.

More from Edelman

Join today and get the latest delivered to your inbox