SunEdison and Walmart Puerto Rico have signed an agreement by which the solar PV company will install solar panels on the roofs of five of the supermarket giant’s stores. Each installation will have an average capacity of 1 MW. Walmart will invest €13.5 million in the project, which is set to become Puerto Rico’s largest renewables project to date.

According to the agreement, to which both companies are legally bound for 15 years, SunEdison will finance and construct the solar PV systems and will manage the electricity generated. The first plant, with a capacity of 895 kW, will be located on the roof of the Walmart Supercenter in Caguas. Work will start on this plant by the end of 2009 and subsequently, the four remaining projects will be completed taking total capacity to 4.7 MW.

SunEdison estimates that the solar PV systems on Walmart’s stores in Puerto Rico will generate around 90 million kWh per annum, equivalent to 25-30% of the total demand of these retail outlets.

The five solar PV plants are just the start of a more extensive programme covering a further 23 stores in coming years. Walmart has been operating in Puerto Rico since 1992 and has a total of 54 outlets on the island.

SunEdison looks north as well as south

In the same month that news of SunEdison’s latest project was announced in Puerto Rico, Ontario's Energy Minister and other dignitaries attended the official opening of Canada's first fully active solar PV park developed under a joint venture between SunEdison and SkyPower Corp.

The 9.1 MW First Light Project, located in Stone Mills, Ontario, covers 90 acres of land and began transmitting energy to Hydro One, the largest electricity transmission and distribution company in Ontario, at the end of September.

SunEdison and SkyPower expect to generate more than 10 million kWh, enough electricity to power approximately 1,000 homes in its first year of operation, the equivalent of taking almost 1,800 cars off the road and removing 8,000 metric tons of carbon from the atmosphere.

SunEdison COO Carlos Domenech commented, "Ontario provides a good example of how governments can foster responsible growth and development. We owe thanks to the Province for their support in making First Light the first fully operational utility scale solar deployment in Canada, and for making Ontario an attractive venue for large‐scale PV solar."

During construction of First Light, SunEdison and SkyPower worked closely with Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources to successfully preserve habitat for the endangered Eastern Loggerhead Shrike.

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