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Walmart

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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9 Major Companies Take 100% Renewable Energy Pledge

by Steve Hanley September 25, 2015

written by Steve Hanley

To listen to the right wing crazies tell it, global warming and climate change are fictions created by treehuggers and do-gooders on the left who want to interrupt the never-ending flow of government dollars that prop up the global business community — those public spirited business leaders who are willing to trade away a nation’s sovereignty in order to squeeze out a few more shekels in profits. But what if using renewable energy actually increases profits instead of diminishing them? What would those hard-headed business people say then?

There’s Money In Renewables

RE100 is a global organization dedicated to getting leading business corporations to commit to using 100% renewable energy. Begun in 2014, it has already attracted several dozen major corporations. Now, 9 more have taken the 100% renewable energy pledge, including such internationally known companies as Nike, Walmart, Goldman Sachs, Johnson & Johnson, Proctor & Gamble, Salesforce, Starbucks, Steelcase, and Voya Financial.

According to the RE100 website:

“RE100 is a global initiative to engage, support and showcase influential companies committed to using 100% renewable power. It is led by The Climate Group in partnership with CDP, and is supported by the We Mean Business coalition. RE100 shares the compelling business case for renewables, while working with others to address barriers to wide-scale adoption and to develop transparent reporting mechanisms for companies.

“The private sector accounts for more than half of the world’s electricity consumption. By massively increasing business demand for renewable power as a proportion of the energy it uses, RE100 will accelerate the transformation of the global energy market, enabling the transition to a prosperous low-carbon future.”

Mark Kenber, CEO of the Climate Group says, “Research shows that the most ambitious companies have seen a 27% return on their low carbon investments. Today these companies are signaling loud and clear to COP21 negotiators that forward thinking businesses back renewables and want to see a strong climate deal in Paris.”

September 25, 2015 1 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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SolarCity, Walmart, Tesla Team Up To Boost Solar Energy, Battery Storage

by Adam Johnston November 25, 2014

written by Adam Johnston

SolarCity and Walmart are working together to boosting solar energy and storage, with a little help from Tesla Motors.

Over the next four years, SolarCity will place new solar power plants in 36 states for Walmart.

1024px-SolarCity_Toyota_Prius_right_side

Image Credit: BrokenSphere via WikiCommons, Some Rights Reserved

Since 2010, SolarCity has completed 200 solar projects for Walmart. In the past year alone, 50 solar farms on rooftops and carports have been installed. This includes: California, Arizona, New York, Oregon, and Puerto Rico.

10 commercial storage batteries provided by Tesla, each at 200 kW (400 kWh) will be added over the next year. These batteries are bigger than Tesla’s residential version, approximately 40 times bigger (5 kW / 10 kWh).

Battery storage is will be a critical part of addressing some concerns from critics about renewable energy intermittency. Navigant Research has said that advanced utility battery storage markets will go past $2.5 billion in revenue annually by 2023.

Image Credit: GreenTech Media

Tesla CTO JB Straubel earlier this year said getting renewables on the grid will drive battery storage over the next ten years. Straubel also said that we are not thinking bold enough on energy storage.

With Walmart leading the way again in US commercial solar power capacity, SolarCity topping residential installations, and Tesla building its gigafactory, these three companies may have a lot of sway where the future of the advance battery storage market will trend.

November 25, 2014 2 comments

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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