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Apple

SEIA Identifies Top 10 Users Of Commercial Solar

by Steve Hanley November 28, 2016

When it comes to US business choosing to power their stores and factories with solar energy, the critical factor is money. Commercial solar prices have fallen by 58% since 2012 and by 16% year over year in 2016. In many cases, it’s just cheaper to install commercial solar power systems than continue to buy electricity from the local utility. Large US corporations now benefit from more than 1,000 megawatts of installed solar power. That’s up from 300 megawatts in 2012.

In its latest annual report entitled Solar Means Business, the Solar Energy Industries Association of America puts the spotlight on the 10 largest users of commercial solar energy. About half of them are retail store chains. Another quarter are distribution centers and data centers.

Target leads the way with 147 megawatts of installed solar from 300 installations. Walmart is right behind with 145 megawatts from 464 solar systems. Target is on pace to install another 70 megawatts of solar power in 2016 while Walmart has 21 megawatts of new solar power planned for this year. The full list of corporations in the top 10 is:

1. Target — 147 megawatts
2. Walmart — 145 megawatts
3. Prologis — 108 megawatts
4. Apple — 94 megawatts
5. Costco — 51 megawatts
6. Kohl’s — with 50 megawatts
7. IKEA — 44 megawatts
8. Macy’s — 39 megawatts
9. General Growth Properties — 30 megawatts
10. Hartz Mountain — 23 megawatts
10. Bed, Bath and Beyond — 23 megawatts

IKEA has installed solar systems at almost 90% of its 38 US locations, by far winning in relative terms. General Motors uses solar at 31% of its facilities and Johnson & Johnson is third in the percentage of its sites with solar power at 28%.

November 28, 2016 0 comment

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Tesla Is The Biggest Disruptor, Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak Says

by Adam Johnston August 25, 2016

written by Adam Johnston

Originally published on sister siteEV Obsession.

When a former co-founder of a game-changing company says great things, you know you are on the right track. In this case, it’s Steve Wozniak showering praise on Elon Musk and company.

The Apple co-founder said last week Tesla is the “biggest disrupter” in the US auto market, speaking to CNBC Asia.

Image Credit: Steve Wozniak via WikiCommons by nickharrison.com (some rights reserved)

Wozniak added Musk has created the first blossoming automobile company since 1927. He also added Tesla is the first electric car which “feels normal” as you can drive it without any destruction.

It’s been a roller coaster 2016 for Tesla. News including a fatal accident in Florida involving a Model S on auto pilot received a lot of negative attention, quite unduly.

However, Tesla has also had some rock solid gains in moving forward EVs. It unveiled its affordable $35,000 Model 3 to an amazing number of pre-bookings this spring. It also opened its momentous Gigafactory. The Gigafactory is key to mass producing Tesla’s Model 3 and other vehicles.

Tesla plans to not only disrupt the automobile industry, but also energy. It agreed to buy SolarCity in a deal earlier this summer, making plenty of sense for each side. SolarCity also plans to build solar roofs (not just rooftop solar), which will make it easier in the future for homeowners to go solar.

“Disruption” has been the buzzword in late 20^th and early 21^stcentury business lingo. The Internet helped disrupt many industries, including telecommunications — Apple’s iPhone is a prime example. Now, those same principles are being felt across the automotive sector with Tesla as it pushes the limits in moving away from fossil-based transport.

Who better to give an honor of disruption than Mr. Wozniak himself, a person who knows a few things about “changing the game” within industries?

August 25, 2016 0 comment

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Apple Creates New Unit To Sell Solar Power

by Steve Hanley June 11, 2016

written by Steve Hanley

Apple has a solar power problem. It has too much of it. Worldwide, Apple gets 93% of the electrical energy it needs from solar and other renewable sources. That electricity runs its stores, offices, and datacenters worldwide. But in California and Nevada, it gets more electricity than it can use from the solar power installations it has constructed.

Apple Solar Installation

June 11, 2016 0 comment

Apple Will Construct 200 MW Of Solar In China

by Jake Richardson October 23, 2015

written by Jake Richardson

As Apple observed the completion of a 40 MW solar project it has had under development in the Sichuan province of China, it announced it would add another 200 MW in that country. (The new 40 MW solar plant apparently makes Apple’s retail and admin systems in Sichuan neutral on the carbon front.)

Perhaps even more impressive – Apple reportedly wants to develop 2 GW of clean energy in China, which is 50 times the size of the new 40 MW plant. That’s a lot of clean energy, especially for a business, and if Apple can achieve this figure, it would be very impressive.

“Climate change is one of the great challenges of our time, and the time for action is now. The transition to a new green economy requires innovation, ambition and purpose. We believe passionately in leaving the world better than we found it and hope that many other suppliers, partners and other companies join us in this important effort,” said Tim Cook, CEO, Apple.

Of course he’s right, climate change is extremely important, but there is another immediate need for China: reducing air pollution. This public health hazard contributes to millions of deaths each year there and even more respiratory problems. China burns a tremendous amount of coal, which obviously is a severe problem due to all the emissions.

It would be fascinating to see what happens there if it comes to pass that one of the leading solar power generators is an American hi-tech company.

It would appear that Apple’s rate of solar power development has surpassed that of some entire states in the US. For example, in Florida about 22 MW was installed in 2014; Apple may have surpassed that easily. State governments — any government bodies — aren’t known for acting quickly, so perhaps it is unfair to compare them to one of the world’s leading tech companies that prides itself on taking a leadership position.

Image Credit: Joe Ravi, Wiki Commons

October 23, 2015 0 comment

Bank of America is one of 13 major corporations who have pledged to make major investments in clean technologies.

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Corporations, Clinton Take Lead In Renewable Energy Fight

by Steve Hanley July 27, 2015

written by Steve Hanley

10 years ago, presidential candidate John Edwards told voters there were two Americas — one for the wealthy and one for the rest of us. Edwards was right; there are two Americas, but the fault line is between those who take climate change seriously and want to take sensible steps to moderate its effects and those who are willing to sacrifice the lives, health, and welfare of the entire American population just as long as those same wealthy people continue to shovel money into their pockets.

We used to think that business was leading the charge against any climate change action, but it turns out that is incorrect. After all, there will be nobody to sell things to if we are all dead, in nursing homes, or underwater.

American Business Pledge On Climate Change

Today, more than a dozen large US corporations pledged to invest up to $140 billion in low-carbon technology, according to Business Green. The pledge is intended to demonstrate the level of support by corporate America for an effective global climate change treaty at the United Nations’ Paris Summit in December.

According to reports, the group of 13 multinationals — including tech giants Apple and Microsoft — will join Secretary of State John Kerry in signing the American Business Act on Climate Pledge, which publicly commits them to reducing their carbon footprints and accelerating investment in clean technologies.

In addition to the investment pledges, the companies will also agree to install at least 1,600 megawatts of renewable energy capacity, reduce water use by 15%, move towards using only renewable power, and target the delivery of zero net deforestation in their supply chains. Other companies expected to sign the pledge include General Motors, the Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Goldman Sachs, and Berkshire Hathaway. The White House says more companies are expected to sign the pledge later this year.

Clinton Announces Major Energy Initiative

The news comes at almost the same time as a pronouncement from current presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton outlining a bold new climate change strategy that includes the installation of $500 million worth of solar panels within 4 years of taking office. The plan would increase the electricity capacity the US has from solar energy to 140 gigawatts — 7 times the current level.

The solar goal is part of a plan to add more renewable power to the grid in the next 10 years than during any other decade in US history. The added capacity will primarily come from wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, and other renewables. Announcing the goals on her website, Clinton said the US is “on the cusp” of a new era of energy generation. “We can create a more open, efficient and resilient grid that connects us, empowers us – improves our health and benefits us all,” she said.

Conservative politicians are mounting a sustained and well-financed attack on any government regulations that impose stricter limits on carbon dioxide emissions, preferring to believe that climate change is just another liberal trick to enslave Americans and cost business money.

July 27, 2015 3 comments

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Cleantech Talk #2: Tesla Home Battery, Big Companies Like Apple, Google, & IKEA Going Solar, & More

by Zach February 26, 2015

written by Zach

Also published on CleanTechnica, EV Obsession, & GAS2.

Chris DeMorro and I recorded our second “Cleantech Talk” podcast earlier today. It is embedded below for your listening pleasure. I’ve begun the process of getting the podcast included on iTunes, but it’s a bit complicated, so I didn’t want to wait for that to be complete to share this week’s episode. However, I did notice that the default setting on SoundCloud is to not allow downloading of the podcast, so I went and changed that in order to allow you to download the podcast in case that is a better option for some of you (the download button is in the top right-hand corner of the embedded podcast below).

Whether you use an Apple or Android device, though, note that you can easily listen to the podcast via the SoundCloud app (Apple app here, and Google Play app here).

With those details out of the way, here’s this week’s episode:

In case you need a preview of the topics in order to make a decision whether you want to listen or not, we discussed these stories:

The Fisker Karma Is Dead, Long Live…Elux?
Electric Cars Under Attack Ahead Of 2016 Presidential Campaigns
Tesla Home Battery On The Way
Will The Tesla Gigafactory Turn On Early?
Big corporations switching to solar & wind (such as Apple, Google, IKEA…)

If you missed last week’s inaugural episode, check it out here: “Cleantech Talk” Podcast #1: Apple Electric Cars, Tesla Model X Spy Pics, Formula E, & Chevy Bolt.

February 26, 2015 1 comment

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$2 Billion Solar-Powered Command Center For Apple

by James Ayre February 8, 2015

written by James Ayre

One of the largest tech companies in the world, Apple, will be constructing a $2 billion data “command center” powered entirely by renewable energy in Mesa, Arizona, according to recent reports.

The very large data center is set to be built at a 1.3 million-square-foot former manufacturing facility previously used by First Solar, before the company scaled back its manufacturing operations a few years ago. After First Solar was done with the site, Apple purchased the site with the intention of leasing it to the sapphire-glass maker GT Advanced Technologies.

With GT now bankrupt, though, that’s clearly not going to happen — hence the new plans, ones that were announced jointly by Apple and the Governor of Arizona, Doug Ducey. Given the fanfare of the announcement, it seems pretty likely that the company is quite serious about constructing the new “command center” for its global data center network.

Considering that the project represents one of the largest investments ever made by the company, the commitment seems worth questioning. But it does seem to be there.

Once completed, the project will result in the creation of more than 600 engineering and construction jobs. Construction will reportedly begin just as soon as legal control is regained over the site — with development ramping up very quickly, according to Apple.

While the specifics aren’t currently known, Apple does seem to be clear on the fact that it’ll be powered 100% by renewables — and that part of this will be via new solar energy projects developed with the local utility Salt River Project. These plants will reportedly total at least 70 MW in capacity.

Image Credit: Screen Capture

February 8, 2015 0 comment

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Walmart, IKEA, Kohl’s Investing In Solar Power

by Jake Richardson December 11, 2014

written by Jake Richardson

Recently a huge list of mainstream corporations was published showing that many of them have their own solar power systems. In fact, if you total the number of megawatts for the top 19, there is about 440 MW of solar capacity.

The largest solar power plant in the world has a capacity of about 550 MW, meaning that large corporations like Walmart, Kohl’s, Macy’s and Apple have a combined solar capacity not too far off that of the largest solar power plant in the world.

Walmart 105.1 MW
Kohl’s 50.2 MW
Costco 48.1 Mw
Apple 40.7 MW
IKEA 39.1 MW
Macy’s 20.8 MW
Johnson & Johnson 17.8 MW
Target 14.9 MW
McGraw Hill 14.1 MW
Staples 13.7 MW
Campbell’s Soup 12.4 MW
US Foods 11.3 MW
Bed Bath and Beyond 11.3 MW
Kaiser Permanente 10.3 MW
Volkswagen 10 MW
Walgreens 10 MW
Safeway 7.5 MW
Fed Ex 7.1 MW
Intel 6.9 MW

Press about them tends to be about the individual company efforts such as IKEA’s solar power expansion at one of its stores in Michigan. However, the fact that well over 400 MW of solar power has been installed by large corporations isn’t talked about much, and this is a huge success story.

Additionally, the cost of solar panels has dropped very much recently, so it might turn out that some of these companies will continue to expand their solar power systems.

Does it surprise you that Campbell’s Soup and Macy’s have invested in solar power systems? (One might expect Apple to do so because it is a leading technology company.) These two are mainstays of American culture and have been in business for decades.

The perception of solar power might be much more leaning towards ‘green’, ‘enviro’, ‘liberal’ and so forth but the great thing about solar adoption by large corporations is that partisan politics don’t factor in first. The decision to go with solar power has much more to do with economics. These businesses have been successful partly by being able to adapt to new conditions in the marketplace. They didn’t choose solar power based on personal preferences or whimsy.

This fact is important because these companies are providing examples of successful solar adoption right now, not somewhere in the distant future.

Their solar adoption is creating some positive press and the companies themselves sometimes publish information about their sustainability initiatives.

If Safeway can invest in solar power, surely every day citizens can too.

Image: Atlantacitizen

December 11, 2014 0 comment

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US Commercial Solar Energy Continues Gaining Steam

by Adam Johnston October 17, 2014

written by Adam Johnston

US commercial solar energy continues gaining steam, with Walmart leading the way in terms of total installed solar power capacity (despite recent criticism for funding anti-solar organizations).

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has just come out with its third annual Solar Means Business report, showcasing the most recent trends in corporate use of solar power.

GM Solar Canopy via SEIA. Photo Credit: General Motors

US businesses, governments, and nonprofits installed for a second year in a row over 1,000 MW of solar power capacity. A total of 41,803 businesses, nonprofits, and governments have a cumulative capacity of 4,531 MW.

Meanwhile, large corporations lead the way in commercial installations. A total of 569 MW were installed from 25 top corporation at 1,110 locations. That’s an increase from 445 MW (28%) last year and 279 MW (103%) two years ago.

Walmart again led the way amongst the top 25 corporations in installations, with 105.10 MW.

Rounding out the top five installers were Kohl’s (50.2 MW), Costco (48.1 MW), Apple (40.7 MW), and IKEA (39.1 MW).

J.C. Penney Company, Inc., is installing solar power systems on 9 of its stores in California and New Jersey. Photo Credit: SunPower

IKEA has solar power on more of its roofs, 90% of them, than any other company. Photo Credit: IKEA

Photo Credit: Macy’s

FedEx Distribution Facility. Photo credit: SunPower

Some solar power installers on the roof of a Walmart. Photo Credit: Walmart

Target also made big gains this year, going from 16^th to 8^th, with 14.9 MW added.

IKEA had the highest percentage of locations having solar installed, at an impressive 90%. General Motors was second at 43%.

Falling solar prices have been critical to growing commercial interest in solar. Cost of commercial solar power plants in 2014 Q2 fell 1% on a year-over-year basis, and more than 45% in two years.

SEIA President and CEO Rhone Resch said commercial investment in solar has cut 549,296 metric tons of carbon emissions, or the equivalent of 62 million gallons of gas.

“What do Walmart, Costco and Apple have in common besides selling cell phones and computers? These iconic brands, and many others like them, are all investing big in solar energy,” Resch said.

However, despite big business going green and investing in solar, it has been put under public scrutiny in recent weeks.

Just last week, a new report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) criticized Walmart owners, the Walton family, for funding groups including American Legal Exchange Council (ALEC) and the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) that oppose renewable energy policy.

Also, Naomi Klein’s new book, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate, has chastised partnerships between big business and big green organizations as the solution for environmental problems. Klein argues companies, including Walmart, have pushed for global policies which increased carbon emissions and encouraged urban sprawl.

While ILSR and Klein have been rightly critical of big business environmental abuses, large corporations are not going to crumble in the foreseeable future, so we really need them to be on our side. Business sees renewables, including solar, as a cost benefit to them in reducing energy expenses. That view will only increase, as will corporate solar installations, so we should at least be happy about that.

The 3rd Solar Means Business report highlights a more pro-active road taken to solve climate problems. Let’s celebrate the success of US commercial solar energy, while holding those companies accountable when needed.

Source: Solar Energy Industries Association

October 17, 2014 0 comment

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Apple, Verizon, Google, UPS: American Corporations Investing More In Solar Power

by Jake Richardson September 3, 2014

written by Jake Richardson

Verizon, Wal-Mart, Apple, Kohl’s, Google, UPS, GM, IKEA: these are just some of the American corporations utilizing solar power now. You may have noticed some of them are America’s most mainstream companies. Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet used to be a common advertising slogan. Chevy was and is a mainstream American brand.

In June, it was reported that GM planned to install three acres of solar panels in Michigan. Last year, GM had 1.8 MW of solar installed at a Toledo plant.

Kohl’s has even more solar power. This retail chain has 156 locations with solar, over 380 LEED certified buildings and over seventy EV charging stations. Wal-Mart is the largest commercial owner of solar, but this fact might be slightly misleading because Wal-Mart is also such a large company. Even if it gets a tiny percentage of its electricity from solar, that total amount might be huge compared to smaller companies’ clean energy technology.

Verizon has invested almost $140 million in renewable energy, “By almost doubling the amount of renewable, solar energy we’re using, we are making further progress toward Verizon’s goal of cutting our carbon intensity in half by 2020, in part, by leveraging the proven business case for clean-energy alternatives to the commercial power grid,” explained James Gowen, Verizon’s chief sustainability officer.

Last year, the Motley Fool wrote that Wal-Mart had some solar power at 200 of its 4500 stores. Two hundred stores sounds impressive, but it is less than 5%, meaning that about 95% of Wal-Mart stores did not have solar power. Still, solar power has been attractive enough for even his mainstream retail giant to invest in it. Wal-Mart’s green activities might get more press, but IKEA’s percentage of locations with solar power was well over 80% in 2013. Obviously, 80-90% is much greater than 4-5% but Wal-Mart still gets credit as a leader in solar power sometimes.

“There has to be a rational business decision with a decent payback. Any business with access to capital has a choice of where to invest. Of course, you can invest in growth of business, and we do that, but we also look at what delivers long-term energy security, a macro hedge on energy price rises and addresses carbon. IKEA also has a long-term business philosophy, where we own most of our stores, our factories, and the land they are built on. We have the capital, so why would we rent? It’s the same with energy – if we can own our own energy production why would we not want to do it?”, said an IKEA executive.

It has been demonstrated by a number of mainstream American corporations that investing in clean energy can save money. In fact, about one billion dollars a year has been. So, will solar power become as American as hot dogs and apple pie?

Image Credit: Joe Ravi

September 3, 2014 2 comments

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