Aetna Installs New Solar Panel Field in Windsor

Aetna today announced that a new solar panel field has been installed in Windsor, Connecticut. The solar array of 975 panels has a capacity to generate an annual production of 268,000 kilowatts per year, which is enough electricity to power an average neighborhood of 24 homes.

The solar installation was built on a previously unused 56,000 square foot grass field, which is the approximate size of a football field.

The new solar installation will produce enough energy to power a major portion of the Aetna facility. Also, the environmental savings generated by the solar installation will equate to 189 metric tons of carbon dioxide, which equates to:

• The CO₂ emissions of more than 21,000 gallons of gasoline,
• The equivalent of taking 39 vehicles off the road,
• Enough electricity to power 24 homes for one year,
• The carbon sequestered by 4,853 tree seedlings grown for 10 years, or 155 acres of forests,
• Carbon emissions from nearly 8,000 propane cylinders used for home barbeques, and
• Avoiding emissions by recycling 71 tons of waste instead of sending it to the landfill.

“We are proud to flip the switch on a new wave of energy efficiency at Aetna with the installation of this solar panel array at our facility in Windsor, Connecticut,” said Michael Marshall, head of Asset Management, Aetna Real Estate Services. “Besides the energy savings, the solar energy will provide numerous environmental benefits, and is a highlight in Aetna’s renewed dedication to becoming a leader in corporate social responsibility.”

The installation of the solar array in Windsor adds to Aetna’s long history of initiatives designed to reduce the company’s carbon footprint. Aetna continues to raise the bar for environmentally conscious companies. Recent accomplishments include the following:

• Through energy-saving efforts across the company, Aetna has reduced its electrical consumption by 14,237,167 kWh since 2010, enough to power 1,504 homes for a full year.
• Aetna’s Green Data Center Program has turned annual increases in power consumption into energy decreases. By optimizing advanced power, cooling and computer technologies, we reduced data center energy consumption 4.4 percent from 2010 to 2011 and 6.3 percent from 2011 to 2012.
• Aetna was named a 2013 Computerworld Honors Laureate for its Sustainable Data Center and Technology Initiative. The Computerworld Honors program honors visionary applications of information technology promoting positive social, economic and educational change.
• Aetna’s teleworkers are reducing Aetna’s carbon footprint by saving more than 89 million miles per year, which saves more than 3.7 million gallons of gas and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by over 33,000 metric tons per year.
• In 2012, Aetna earned the Leadership in Environmental Design (LEED^®) Silver Certification for the nearly two-year long renovation of the Atrium building in Hartford. It was the second major Aetna facility to receive LEED silver certification.
• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized Aetna’s Building #2 in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania with Energy Star designation in 2012. Aetna has leased 22 Energy Star-labeled facilities across the country.
• Aetna has initiatives to recycle paper, cardboard, glass and plastic bottles. Aetna has been recycling fluorescent bulbs since 1994. The Hartford and Blue Bell campuses recycled 1,047 tons of material last year.
• In 2012, Aetna installed electric vehicle charging stations on the Hartford and Blue Bell campuses to encourage employees to drive electric/hybrid cars to work and further reduce our carbon footprint.
• Aetna is using environmentally friendly paper for the printing of marketing materials, an effort that in 2012 helped save 302 tons of paper. As a result, 871 million BTUs of energy; 167,091 lbs. of greenhouse gases; 906,229 gallons of waste water; and 60,664 lbs. of solid waste were saved.