Windspire turbines. Image: Mariah Power
From Green Right Now Reports
Adobe Systems, Incorporated has completed installation of 20 Windspire wind turbines at its San Jose, Calif., headquarters.
“With the installation of the Windspires, we’re adding renewable energy to a long list of green measures Adobe has taken to lessen our environmental impact,” said Randall H. Knox, III, senior director, Global Workplace Solutions, Adobe. “We’ll continue to seek innovative green technology solutions to reduce our energy dependence and inspire others to go green.”
Urban Windspire installation. Image: Mariah Power
Each tower is 30 feet tall, 4 feet wide and weighs 650 pounds. The propeller-free, vertical-axis wind turbine is designed to harness wind power in urban, suburban and rural locations.
The new towers are located on Adobe’s sixth–floor patio, which doubles as a rooftop garden and recreational area above an office parking garage. Adobe’s three office towers create a wind tunnel effect from sustained winds off the Pacific Ocean.
Adobe’s green building efforts have earned the company the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest honors for green practices. Adobe is the first commercial office building to receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design LEED®-EB Platinum certification for its San Jose headquarters and is the world’s first commercial enterprise to achieve a total of four Platinum certifications under the LEED program.
Since 2001, Adobe estimates it has saved approximately $6.7 million as a result of its energy and sustainability efforts. Those initiatives include energy-efficient lighting, real-time water meters for landscaping and an intelligent control system to help monitor building efficiencies.