The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) have released the annual Solar Means Business report in association with the Vote Solar Initiative (Vote Solar). The report identifies the major commercial solar projects in the US and ranks America’s top corporate solar users. It found that Walmart remains at the top as the US commercial solar leader with 89MW of capacity distributed across 215 locations. The top 25 companies, ranked by the report according to installed capacity, are Walmart, Costco, Kohl’s, Apple, IKEA, Macy’s, Johnson & Johnson, McGraw Hill, Staples, Campbell’s Soup, U.S. Foods, Bed Bath & Beyond, Kaiser Permanente, Volkswagen, Walgreens, Target, Safeway, FedEx, Intel, L’OREAL, General Motors, Toys “R” Us, White Rose Foods, Toyota, and Dow Jones & Company.
These top 25 companies have deployed a total of 445MW of solar capacity representing a 48 percent increase over the past year.
“The list of companies moving to clean, affordable solar energy reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ of the most successful corporations in America” said Rhone Resch, SEIA President and CEO. “These iconic brands are leading the way when it comes to efforts to reduce our nation’s dangerous dependence on foreign energy sources. They’re also helping to create thousands of American jobs, boost the U.S. economy and improve our environment. At the same time, they’re reducing operating expenses, which benefits both their customers and shareholders.”
The companies covered by the report have turned the corner and are going for solar in a big way, according to Executive Director of Vote Solar Adam Browning. IKEA, for instance, has installed solar panels at nearly 90 percent of its US locations and is actively working towards its goal of 100 percent renewable energy in all its operations. Walmart has a similar objective and solar energy forms an important part of the company’s renewable energy portfolio.
“As one of the largest hosts of solar electricity generation in North America, Kohl’s continues to make solar and the use and support of green power key components of our sustainable operations strategy” added Ken Bonning, Kohl’s senior executive vice president. “Solar also plays an important role in our goal to achieve carbon neutrality through 2015. Across all of our sustainability initiatives – from renewable energy and designing energy-efficient buildings to supply chain collaboration and waste reduction – we are demonstrating our commitment to being an environmentally responsible retailer and setting a positive example in the communities we serve.”
Solar Means Business also ranks the Top 25 companies by the number of solar energy systems, the Top 5 companies in the food services, health and beauty and automobile sectors and the Top 10 retail companies. The companies analysed in the report have, in total, deployed systems across 30 states thereby reflecting the growth in the US commercial solar sector which reached a total of 3,380MW deployment as of Q2 2013 across more than 32,800 facilities throughout the country, an increase of over 40 percent from last year.
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