April 29, 2010
Suzlon global headquarters One Earth receives LEED Platinum certification
- ?New corporate HQ achieves top sustainability certification, making it one of the worlds greenest
- ?Campus powered 100 percent by renewable energy
Pune/Washington, D.C.: Suzlon Energy Limited (SEL), the worlds third-largest* and
Indias largest wind turbine manufacturer accepted on Thursday, April 29, the Leadership in
Energy and Environment Design (LEED) Platinum award for its new corporate headquarters
in Pune, Maharashtra, India.
Her Excellency Meera Shankar, the Ambassador of India to the United States, awarded the
LEED rating citation to Suzlon at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., jointly organized by the
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the US India Business Council (USIBC).
The LEED standards a green environment rating system complying with the standards of
the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) specify stringent norms to be met for the
greenest, most energy-efficient and high-performance buildings. Started in the U.S., LEED
certification continues to gain international traction. CII has been at the front of promoting
LEED standards in India, having established the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) in
2001, in partnership with the Government of Andhra Pradesh, Godrej Foundation & USAID,
with technical cooperation with the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). Suzlons
One Earth campus is among the first 100 sites in India to receive LEED certification.
Developed on an area of 41,000 square meters (10.13 acres) with a capacity to house
2,300 people, One Earth ranks among the largest green building projects in India. The
facility sets new benchmarks in energy efficiency in all aspects of engineering and
construction. This whole-building approach to sustainability helped secure the highest LEED
rating by focusing on key areas such as human and environmental health; sustainable site
development; efficient water; energy and waste methods, materials and resource selection;
and indoor environmental quality and innovation. This approach has also made it possible to
construct the facility at a lower cost compared to other facilities of comparable size,
ultimately leading to a lower lifecycle cost and smaller environmental footprint in the long
term.
Specific features of Suzlon One Earth include:
Low-energy materials - More than 70 percent of materials used in the interiors
have a reduced carbon footprint. They ensure higher recycled content, have lower
embodied energy and are rapidly renewable.
Renewable energy-based exterior lighting - LED street lighting is powered
entirely by renewable energy-based systems located on the site thus reducing
approximately 25 percent of the total lighting load. Ninety percent of regularly
occupied spaces have daylight exposure, thereby saving on artificial lighting.
Daylight & occupancy sensors - Daylight sensors are used in the workstation area
for maximum use of artificial lighting. Occupancy sensors control task lighting in
unoccupied workstations ensuring savings of about 20 percent of energy costs.
Efficient ventilation system - Jet fans installed in the basements intermittently
push out stale air & bring in fresh air, saving 50 percent energy as compared to
ducted basement ventilation system.
Storm & rainwater management system - Channels all rain received into a
controlled flow, preventing soil erosion and facilitating removal of silt.
Speaking about the award, Mr. Tulsi Tanti, Chairman of Suzlon Group, said, This award
underlines Suzlons commitment to sustainability. I believe that One Earth named as a
tribute to Earths unique existence as a self-replenishing eco-system will be inspiration
and proof to others that it is possible, if we are really determined, to create a sustainable
world for our future.
Commenting on the green building movement in India, Ms. Meera Shankar, Ambassador of
India to the United States, remarked, The issue of climate change poses a serious
challenge for India. While meeting this challenge in ways consistent with our national
development goals, we also see this as an opportunity to leapfrog in adoption of low carbon
intensive technologies and building national competitiveness through resource efficiency.
The Green Building Movement, led by industry and the Energy Conservation Building Codes,
initiated by the Government of India, are enabling 20-30% reduction in energy consumption
in the building sector. India's commitment and actions speak for themselves.
