Infosys, a global leader in consulting, technology, outsourcing and next-generation services,recently announced the launch of its solar PV power plant of 6.6 MW capacity at its Pocharam campus in the state of Telangana. With this launch, combined with the existing 0.6 MW capacity rooftop solar plant, the Infosys campus in Pocharam will be one of the first corporate campuses in India that will be run completely by renewable energy. The plant, with a total capacity of 7.2 MW, has been successfully synchronized with the grid and is expected to generate 12 million kWh per annum. This initiative is expected to reduce the company’s CO2 emissions by 9,200 tons.Currently, the company has installed 12 MW solar power plants (onsite) across its campuses and another 3 MW is expected to be completed within the next two months.
Commenting on Infosys’ efforts to ensure sustainable development, Dr. Vishal Sikka, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Infosys said, “Our company’s commitment to our broader purpose and to our communities, has always brought us great pride. The Infosys founders set this standard from the beginning, and we see this in the contributions of our employees to their communities and in times of crisis, such as the recent Chennai floods; we see this in the work of the Infosys Foundations; and we see this perhaps most clearly in our work in our facilities. Our team, led by Ramadas Kamath, continues to set new standards in our commitments to reduce electricity consumption. Our beautiful Hyderabad campus is another great example of this commitment.”
Infosys has always been at the forefront of the movement to chart an action plan for mitigating the adverse effects of climate change. Some of the achievements made by the company on this front as are follows:
– This year Infosys became the first Indian company to join the global RE100 campaign
– By the end of fiscal 2015, the company reduced its per capita consumption of electricity by 46%
– About 30% of its energy requirements are now being met through renewable sources
– The company has 14 LEED Platinum rated buildings and four buildings with the Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) 5 star rating, making it a total of about 5.3 million sq.ft of buildings having the highest level of green certification
Speaking on Infosys’ commitment to renewable energy, Mr. Ramadas Kamath, Executive Vice President and Head – Infrastructure, Facilities, Administration, Security and Sustainability, Infosys, said, “Companies have a responsibility to the communities in which they are present and sustainable development and climate change are issues that businesses need to get actively involved in. We hope other companies will emulate us, aligning to the goals committed by India at COP21, Paris, with an overall objective of creating a sustainable future.”
The Infosys IT SEZ at Pocharam is a 450-acre campus. The Phase-1 of this campus has a built-up area of 30 lakh sq. ft. with 16,000 seats, software development blocks, residential training facilities, food courts, recreational facilities, multi-level car park, water treatment plant, sewage treatment plant, and utility blocks. The campus has been recognized globally as one of the greenest campuses with world-class innovation in sustainability. The campus was the first to adopt radiant cooling technology in India. Several other features of the campus such as the high performance façade, naturally-lit office spaces, efficient water management with smart metering, super-efficient chiller plants, lakes for rainwater harvesting, and a biogas plant for waste treatment have been exemplary for the industry. The building Energy Performance Index (EPI) of 75 kWh/sq. m per annum is among the lowest in the industry globally and is a benchmark for others to achieve.
The campus has won many awards for its innovation in engineering and design. It has been featured in several national and international publications. The construction of Phase-2 of the campus is underway and it has a planned capacity of 25,000 employees. An area has been reserved to construct Phase-3.
