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eBay Bids on Solar by Staff GreenBiz.com, May 12, 2008

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- eBay unveiled San Jose's largest solar installation last week with a system that spans 60,000 square feet atop multiple buildings at the company's North Campus.

The campus is now the home of 3,248 solar panels in a 650-kilowatt system that will supply 18 percent of the campus's power, saving the company about $100,000 in electricity costs in its first year of operation. And a special deal with SolarCity, which installed the system, allows employees to implement solar energy in their homes through a SolarLease financing option with a discounted cash-purchase feature.

eBay used the occasion to tout its first LEED-Gold certified building, which also is the first building in this Northern California city to achieve the rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. A workstation lighting dimming system, eco-friendly irrigation and low-flow showerheads and faucets help reduce energy and water consumption, while more than 75 percent of construction waste was diverted from landfill through recycling and reuse.

"eBay empowers people around the world to recycle and reuse, so constructing an environmentally friendly building from the ground up reflects our business values and our commitment to reducing our corporate footprint -- in the Bay Area and at all of our facilities worldwide," said eBay President and CEO John Donahoe. "Going green is a great way to work."