Hertz expands solar program

Hertz expands solar programHertz continues to expand it's solar footprint with a second phase of solar photovoltaic installations that will land panels at 10 more of its facilities around the country.

In the first phase, Hertz installed solar panels on two facilities in Colorado – one at Denver International Airport and one at an equipment rental facility in Denver.

The company also recently flipped the switch on a rooftop solar array at its headquarters in Park Ridge, New Jersey, said spokeswoman Lemore Hecht.

“Hertz, as a whole, is committed to following sustainable business practices,” Hecht said. “Someone saw an opportunity that made financial sense in solar.” The company started looking at solar as a realistic option in states that offer enticing financial incentives in 2011. “It was just the natural next step,” Hecht said.

The second phase of solar installations will include facilities in New York, New Jersey, California, Colorado, Georgia and Massachusetts. Solar panels will be installed at locations in each of those states before the end of 2012. In total, Hertz will generate more then 3.1 million kilowatt hours of solar energy a year at its US locations.

The company plans to start work on the first two of the upcoming installations soon. They will include arrays at Newark International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport. Those two installations will generate more than 800,000 kilowatt hours of power. “A lot of what we do is aimed at minimizing our footprint as much as possible,” Hecht said.

The company’s Living Journey program is evaluating energy consumption at Hertz facilities worldwide and looking at ways to improve energy efficiencies. That program is leading to several retrofits and lighting upgrades, Hecht said.

The company is also an early adopter of electric vehicles. Hecht said Hertz has electric vehicles in Paris, London and Itally. They are also available in New York and San Francisco.

“Infrastructure is always an issue,” Hecht said. “You have to make sure they’re in places where they can be charged. In New York and San Francisco people are using them.”

She said that while phase II is getting started there are no plans yet for a phase III, “But that’s not to say there won’t be one.”