Two of the world’s biggest retailers, Walmart and IKEA, have realized the benefits of installing solar panels on the rooftops of its locations in the US.
Walmart Reaches California Milestone – The Arkansas-based retail giant installed solar panels on its 100th California store on August 1. The San Diego solar installation is just one of 130 in total that the company hopes to have working by the end of next year. By late 2013, California solar installers will have put up systems on 75 percent of Walmart’s stores in the state, according to PV Tech.
Once Walmart completes 30 more installations, the company will generate about 70 million kilowatt-hours of electricity a year. This energy, enough to power about 5,400 homes, will be equivalent to about 20 percent to 30 percent of Walmart’s total electricity use in California, the company said.
IKEA’s Solar Power Successes – The Swedish furniture company put up solar panels at two of its Philadelphia-area stores and at its service office in Pennsylvania on July 31. The three projects have combined almost 9,200 PV panels that cover more than 286,000 square feet. In total, the new installations will generate more than 2.65 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year.
