Walmart solar roof tops
Big companies need to participate in green initiatives,. Walmart, the world largest employer, is enthusiastic about alternative energy. Walmart partnered with The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) in 2007 to provide a some momentum to photovoltaic technologies and research. They are particularly interested in thin-film solar. A few years later, Walmart has installed thin-film solar panels on top of several stores in California, Arizona, and Puerto Rico. Due to those locations receiving ample sun, they were logical choices. Currently, Walmart wishes to expand their solar stores to another 30 locations. The result is a reduction in each store's power demand by up to 30%. Collectively, Walmart produces 22.5 Million kWhs of energy. As they promote, "It is like taking 3000 cars off the road each year." Saving 11,650 metric tons of GHG from the atmosphere.
The thin-film solar panels come from First Solar and MiaSolé. Their products are far less expensive than silicon based solar panels. First Solar uses Cadmium Telluride and MiaSolé has copper, indium, selenide, and gallium based solar components. At 1 micron thick, their thin-film solar panels require less materials to manufacture, and are light weight and easy to install. They even work better than their silicon based counterparts on cloudy days, in smog and fog conditions. Thin-film even works with snow accumulation.
With the 8,350 Walmart locations, the chain has the potential to generate 6262.5 Million kWhs of energy, if they all produced at peak capacity. Walmart's vice president of energy, Kim Saylors, said " By leveraging our global scale to become a more efficient company, we are able to lower our expenses and help develop markets for new technologies. Developing and incorporating new renewable energy sources, like thin film, reduces energy price risk and aligns very well with our commitment to solving business challenges through technology.”
At an average of 1000kWh of energy a month per home (Based on California averages) Walmart could generate enough power 1/5 million homes for a year, to put it in perspective.
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