Home: Renewable Energy News: Walmart Announces 4.5 Megawatt Solar Project

Renewable Energy News

TUESDAY 05 MARCH, 2013 |

Walmart Announces 4.5 Megawatt Solar Project

by Energy Matters

Retail giant Walmart will shortly boost Ohio's entire installed solar panel capacity by nearly ten percent.

12 WalMart and Sam's Clubs stores will host solar panel systems that will collectively generate approximately 6,000,000 kWh of electricity annually - enough to provide power to more than 820 homes.

Wal-Mart says each installation will supply around 5-20 percent of the overall electricity used by each of the 12 stores.

The company is working towards a goal of being supplied 100% by renewable energy. To date, Walmart has more than 180 renewable energy projects in operation or development around the world, generating enough energy to power 78,000 American homes. Those projects incorporate 150 solar installations in seven countries, generating 71 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually.

In California, solar arrays are installed at 100 of its locations - 75% of Walmart stores in that state.

The company is also trialing onsite micro-wind, large-scale wind power, solar hot water, as well as solar thermal in various countries.

Walmart is the largest onsite green power generator in the USA according to the United States EPA Green Power Partnership program.

The company also buys green power from third parties to help power its operations. According to the Green Power Partnership rankings, Walmart consumed 751,431,792 kWh of green power last year (source from biogas, solar and wind) ; around 4% of its total consumption and placing it at number five on the national top 50 leader board.

The company has various environmental programs, including a zero waste initiative.

"We’re working toward a day when there will be no dumpsters behind our stores and clubs, and no landfills containing our throwaways. In 2011, our Walmart U.S. operations prevented more than 80% of store waste from going to landfills." The reduction also has the potential to prevent 11.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.