Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (Bentonville, Ark.), the world’s largest retailer, is fast becoming one of the most environmentally friendly. According to an article in The Wall Street Journal, the big box discount retail chain said it is installing solar panels that will provide up to 30 percent of the power for 22 stores in California and Hawaii.
The move is just the latest green test Wal-Mart will conduct in its stores and the company will look at the results to determine whether it is profitable to expand the use of solar power to its more than 4000 stores in the U.S.
“We are taking aggressive steps towards our goal of being supplied by 100 percent renewable energy,” said Kim Saylors-Laster, Wal-Mart’s vp of energy. “The pilot project is another example of Wal-Mart’s commitment to making decisions that are good for business and the environment.”
Wal-Mart Stores will purchase the solar power from three solar power providers, BP Solar, SunEdison LLC, and PowerLight, a subsidiary of SunPower Corporation, for 22 combined Wal-Mart stores, Sam’s Clubs and a distribution center in Hawaii and California.
As part of a pilot project, the total solar power production from the 22 sites is estimated to be as much as 20 million kilowatt-hours per year. When fully implemented, the aggregate purchase could be one of the U.S., if not the world’s, top-10 largest-ever solar power initiatives.
“Wal-Mart’s decision to take advantage of the economic and environmental benefits of solar power and energy efficiency technologies is a great step in the right direction,” said Ron Judkoff, director of the Buildings and Thermal Systems Center at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
Each solar power generating system installed can provide up to 30 percent of the power for the store on which it is installed. By Wal-Mart’s estimates, installing the solar power systems will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 6,500-10,000 metric tons per year. “Pilot project stores are expected to achieve savings over their current utility rates immediately – as soon as the first day of operation,” said David Ozment, director of energy for Wal-Mart.
Wal-Mart will use the power generated by the solar panels onsite at each store and will also keep the Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) the units produce, which is unique among most solar power purchases. Enabling Wal-Mart to maintain ownership of the RECs and its stores’ environmental benefits is another important factor in allowing Wal-Mart to reach its goal of being supplied by 100 percent renewable energy.
Wal-Mart is also testing renewable energy technologies, such as wind and solar power generation, in its experimental stores in McKinney, Texas and Aurora, Colorado. Along with the learnings from these stores, the company will use the results of the pilot project and its solar power purchase to explore additional ways to achieve its renewable energy goals and determine how to move forward with solar power generation at additional Wal-Mart stores, Sam’s Clubs and distribution centers.
Wal-Mart executive Charles Zimmerman, vp of prototype and new format development, will discuss Wal-Mart’s green ways and how the company measures the ROI of these efforts during his keynote presentation at this year’s VM+SD International Retail Design Conference. For more information on this year’s IRDC and to register, visit www.irdconline.com.