Industry
Internet retail
Fortune 500 Rank (2012)
228
Established
1995
Headquarters
San Jose, CA
Web site
Bloom Installation
500kW
June 2009
San Jose, CA
6MW
2013
South Jordan, UT
Objective
eBay Inc sought a cost effective, 24/7 solution that delivered 100% renewable energy, allowing them to meet both financial and environmental goals.
"eBay believes in the power of our business model to make a real difference in the world, and that includes how we embrace innovation to reduce our carbon footprint. When Bloom came to us, it was an easy decision to become an early-adopter of their cutting-edge new technology. As a result, we're meeting financial and environmental goals with the project while fueling a more energy efficient global marketplace. That's good for us, our customers and the planet."
– John Donahoe, CEO
eBay Installs 24/7 Clean Power Solution to Contribute to Ambitious CO2 Reduction Targets
With more than 90 million active users globally, eBay is the world's largest online marketplace, where practically anyone can buy and sell practically anything. CEO John Donahoe is a strong believer that a long-term commitment to sustainability and renewable energy use is both great for business – and critical for the environment. In 2009, eBay committed to reduce its corporate greenhouse gas emissions by 15% by 2012, over a 2008 baseline, an ambitious target for a rapidly growing company.
Why Bloom?
The majority of eBay's environmental impact arises from the energy consumed by its data centers, operations that run 24/7/365 in order to support the more than $2,000 worth of goods that are transacted every second. Following the installation of a 650 kW solar array at their headquarters in San Jose, eBay was convinced that clean energy was a viable solution, but was looking for one that could provide always-on, 100% renewable power for this constant load. The best and most cost-effective solution they found was Bloom's systems running on biogas.
Implementation
The initial 500kW eBay installation is a high-profile, showcase project for the company, and was Bloom's first 100% renewable biogas project. Beautifully situated outside the company's LEED gold certified "Mint" building, the Bloom Energy Servers delivered 2.2 million kWh of power and mitigated more than 650,000 pounds of CO2 in just their first 6 months; with biogas turned on, the amount of carbon mitigated more than triples.
In June of 2012, eBay announced plans to build the next phase of its flagship data center with renewable energy as its primary power source. Partnering with Bloom Energy, eBay is incorporating 30 Bloom Energy servers into the new data center's energy architecture. The electric utility grid will be used only as backup. The new six megawatt (MW) Bloom installation is being designed and engineered into eBay's expanded data center facility in Utah, and will be fully functional by mid-2013. By utilizing Bloom Energy Servers—which generate on-site power 24 hours a day, 365 days a year— eBay will be able to replace large and expensive backup generators and UPS components that are historically utilized less than one percent of the year.
