Dive Brief:
- Some of the biggest U.S. corporations, including eBay, Verizon, Wal-Mart, Apple, and Costco, are installing solar not to advance sustainability programs or reduce greenhouse gas emissions but because it cuts their power bills 15% to 30%.
- Verizon Communications exec James Gowen told Bloomberg TV the company’s planned 10.2 megawatts of solar at eight facilities will cost about $40 million, but will add shareholder value because, with its tax benefits, on-site solar is cheaper than grid electricity.
- Wal-Mart, the leading U.S. commercial solar owner, has cut energy consumption 15% to 30% with each of its 250 store and distribution center rooftop solar installations, Apple has built three 20-megawatt data center solar installations and plans 40 additional megawatts, and Costco is the second-biggest U.S. commercial solar owner with 47 megawatts of installed capacity.
Dive Insight:
Wal-Mart has built over 335 renewable energy projects world-wide, frequently with SolarCity as supplier, and leads in U.S. commercial solar ownership with over 89 megawatts of installed capacity.
After Wal-Mart and Costco, Kohl’s is third, with almost 45 megwatts, Apple is fourth, with almost 41 megawatts, and IKEA is fifth, with 35 megawatts.
Verizon’s solar supplier is SunPower.
Apple also uses fuel cells that run on biogas and has invested in other renewables, such as utility scale wind projects.
