FedEx Express Oakland, California, West Coast Hub

In August 2005, FedEx Express activated California’s largest corporate solar power installation at its Oakland, Calif., West Coast Hub. The system reduces demand on the utility grid and serves as an additional source of power capacity to benefit businesses and residents of California.

To power the facility, FedEx Express flew more than 300,000 Sharp solar cells from Japan to a Sharp facility in Memphis, where they were installed into 5,769 photovoltaic modules that convert sunlight directly into electricity. This 904 kW system can produce the equivalent of power used by more than 900 homes during the daytime, meeting up to 80 percent of the hub facility’s peak energy demand. The 81,000 square feet of roof space at the facility is covered with more than 5,700 solar electric panels that also help insulate the buildings, reducing heating and cooling costs.

• More than 2 billion kilowatt hours of renewable energy generated by sunlight in the first two years of operation
• Saved 342 tons of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere – equivalent to 96 acres of forest saved, or not driving 850,000 miles annually

New Solar Facilities on the Way

FedEx Freight is building two solar facilities in Fontana and Whittier, California, that will provide a combined 550 KW of power. We've partnered with a lighting manufacturer to develop a custom facility lighting solution that reduces energy consumption by up to 93%. As an EPA Energy Star partner, they've changed over 3,500 traditional bulbs for energy-efficient compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs (and still counting).