Over the past week, Walmart installed solar PV modules at stores in Hawaii and Ohio, moving closer toward its goal of using 100 percent renewable energy.
Three stores in Hawaii now have PV installations, from solar firm SunEdison, bringing the total number of Hawaiian Walmart stores powered by solar energy to six.
Each of these systems will produce over 400,000 kWh of electricity, displacing about 320 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year. That’s equivalent to removing 67 cars off the road for each system, each year.
“We are committed to making decisions that are not only good for business and the environment, but also allow us to pass on savings to our customers,” said Rey Armijo , Hawaii Market Manager for Walmart.
Senate Energy & Environment Committee Chair and State Senator Mike Gabbard congratulated Walmart, and said the installations will “reduce their electricity bills and do good for the environment.”
PV installations on a Walmart store in Ohio. Credit: Walmart
In Ohio, SolarCity has installed PV panels on 12 Walmart and Sam’s Club stores, making it Ohio’s largest PV power user.
“Solar power makes sense for Walmart, and it makes sense for Ohio,” said David Ozment , Walmart Senior Director of Energy. “We are committed to increasing the use of renewable energy resources, including solar panels, at our stores in Ohio and throughout the country.”
The installations will add about 6,000,000 kWh of electricity generation capacity, enough to power more than 820 homes, and will supply between five and 20 percent of each store’s overall electricity needs.
“At more than four and a half megawatts, it represents almost a tenth of all the solar installed in Ohio currently,” said Bill Spratley , Executive Director of Green Energy Ohio. “It is exciting to see that Walmart’s solar arrays will also eliminate 5,500 tons of CO2e or the equivalent of taking the emissions of 1,152 cars off the road each year.”
“Walmart continues to forge new ground as the #1 corporate solar user in America,” said SolarCity CEO Lyndon Rive. “This project brings SolarCity to the state of Ohio for the first time, and is expected to increase the state’s overall solar generation capacity by more than 10 percent.”
