Case Study
Solar Installations in Southern California
A well-developed energy program is one of the main strategies of Westfield’s holistic energy management program.
In keeping with its commitment to clean, renewable energy, Westfield in the United States recently completed its first large-scale solar installations at Westfield Fashion Square and Westfield Topanga in Los Angeles, two of the largest installations in the country owned and operated by a shopping mall.
These are the fourth and fifth Westfield centres in the United States incorporating solar generation in addition to MainPlace and Culver City, also in Los Angeles, and University Town Center (UTC) in San Diego.
The Group has identified a well-developed alternative energy program as one of the four main strategies of its holistic energy management program.
The company’s energy management strategy focuses on conservation first, followed by efficiency to minimize the overall energy requirement. Self-production of clean electricity is the next step in contributing to the sustainable operation of the business, and a key goal for the Group is leverage its skill to the benefit of its tenants.
The solar installation systems generate nearly 1.7 megawatts of clean, renewable energy which provides 48% of the common area electricity at Fashion Square and 10% of the common area electricity at Topanga. Combined, this has resulted in the elimination of CO2 emissions equivalent to nearly 200,000 gallons of consumed gasoline.
For 2013, the company is continuing its solar deployment program by completing a 765KW system at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles and a planned project to install over 1.5 KW of solar power at what will be the company’s first installation outside California, at Westfield Wheaton in Maryland.
To make the program financially feasible Westfield accessed Federal, State and Utility incentives not usually available to REIT entities. The Group established a separate operating entity, Westfield eco, Inc. to own and manage the systems.
Westfield Fashion Square