100 Million Cups of Coffee Made from Wind Energy

“It’s exciting to see Starbucks continue its commitment to play a role in the growth of renewable energy markets,” said Rebecca Zimmer, director of global environmental impact for Starbucks. “We are identifying and investing in new green power projects that are close to our retail communities and give our store partners a story they can be proud of.”

Starbucks has been working on its global footprint for some time now, reinforcing its commitment through energy and water conservation measures and advancing renewable energy sources. This deal will enable Starbucks to support the generation of approximately 48,000 megawatt-hours of wind power from Enel Green Power’s HillTopper wind project, enough to brew nearly 100 million cups of coffee, or more than seven cups of coffee for every Illinois resident. It will deliver an annual environmental benefit equivalent to removing nearly 8,000 passenger vehicles from the road.

The HillTopper wind farm with a total capacity of 185 megawatts is expected to enter into service by the end of 2018. Once fully operational, it will be able to generate around 570 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually.