Illinois’ Commercial Solar Segment Gets Boost From Walmart, Sam’s Club

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Illinois has been in the news a lot over the past year, touting its solar revolution as started by the Future Energy Jobs Act of 2016. Heck, even SolarWakeup got in on the act, holding one of its prized SolarWakeup Live! events there to celebrate.

And while much of the hype has been anticipatory, there are real successes going on, too. And one such success is that 19 Walmart and Sam’s Clubs stores will be adding solar to their rooftops by the end of 2019. For those of you who don’t know, both Walmart and Sam’s Club are owned by the Walton family out of Bentonville, Arkansas, so it makes sense the two companies are linked when it comes to solar development.

It should be noted that Walmart has been one of the most solar-friendly big box stores in the country, regularly trading places with Target as the business with the most installed solar capacity in the Solar Energy Industries Association’s annual Solar Means Business report, which ranks businesses in order of installed solar capacity for the year.

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In case you weren’t clear on the connection between Walmart’s decision and the new law, the Belleville News-Democrat has the scoop:

The move was prompted by the state’s new Adjustable Block Program, which provides incentives for commercial and residential rooftop solar projects, as well as community solar farms.

A spokesperson from Walmart told the paper the other reason for making the move to solar: The corporation can actually beat its current electricity costs under the new agreement. Between saving money on electricity, freeing themselves from the monopoly utility and the new Illinois law, putting the solar arrays on the 19 stores was an absolute no-brainer.

Well, and it can’t hurt that such an installation could help them get back to the top of the SEIA list of top solar businesses in the country. We know that’s their real motivation. (We may be projecting there, but it could be a consideration, couldn’t it?)

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Walmart to install solar panels on 19 of its stores in Illinois, including Belleville

Walmart, SunPower Sign Landmark Deal In Illinois

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

As the Illinois market continues to unfurl, corporations in the state are starting to look for solar options to power their businesses. Now, one of the country’s largest retailers has partnered with a U.S.-based solar provider to add solar to the roofs and the ground surrounding its facilities in the state.

SunPower and Walmart announced an agreement with to have the commercial energy provider install solar systems at 19 stores and two distribution centers in Illinois.

As part of the project, a mix of rooftop and ground-mount solar systems are expected to account for 23 megawatts, with start of construction targeted for the first half of 2019.

This commitment moves Walmart closer to its 2025 goal of supplying its global operations with 50 percent renewable energy. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator, the amount of anticipated annual carbon offset by this initiative will be equal to the amount of carbon sequestered by over 24,000 acres of U.S. forest in one year – the size of Elgin, Ill.

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“Solar is a vital component of Walmart’s expanding renewable energy portfolio,” said Mark Vanderhelm, vice president of energy for Walmart Inc. “Walmart plans to tirelessly pursue renewable energy projects that are right for our customers, our business and the environment. These planned projects with SunPower are moving us in the right direction toward our renewable energy goals.”

Walmart is financing the solar projects through a power purchase agreement (PPA) arranged by SunPower, allowing Walmart to buy power at competitive prices and hedge against future utility rate increases with no upfront capital costs. Walmart will own the renewable energy credits associated with the system.

“We commend Walmart for its leadership in driving corporate renewable energy adoption in the United States and for partnering with SunPower to deliver high-efficiency, high-quality solar to so many of its stores and facilities,” said Nam Nguyen, SunPower Executive Vice President, Commercial Americas. “As the top U.S. commercial solar provider and with over 30 years of experience, SunPower is well positioned to help Walmart increase its renewable energy investments in a cost-effective manner.”

In Illinois, smart state policy and rising utility rates make solar a smart investment for commercial customers. These installations will represent a 25 percent increase in Illinois’ current solar capacity and will generate enough electricity to power nearly 30,000 homes.

“Illinois Solar Energy Association is committed to advancing solar locally, enabling companies like Walmart – with stores and employees across our great state – to realize the economic and environmental value of renewable energy,” said Lesley McCain, Executive Director of the Illinois Solar Energy Association. “These projects will create hundreds of jobs for Illinois’ growing solar workforce while reducing pollution across the state.”

What Corporation Buys The Most On Solar? Bloomberg Has The Stats

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Corporations are driving clean energy adoption globally, and they have procured more than ever before so far in 2018 – at least according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

Through July, global corporations have already shattered the 2017 full-year record by more than 2 GW through July, having already purchased 7.2 GW through July vs 5.4 GW in all of 2017. It’s being driven by sustainability plans and the incentives to build clean energy projects.

And solar is making up an ever-increasing portion of the purchases, thanks to plummeting PV prices – though wind still makes up the majority of purchases globally.

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Corporate PPAs are driving the growth, particularly in the United States, BNEF reports:

As a result, we’re seeing corporations locking into fixed, long-term clean energy contracts, hedging against volatile prices in the wholesale market. This is known as the virtual PPA model, and remains the most common corporate procurement mechanism.In the U.S., companies have grown more comfortable with the virtual PPA model, serving as the offtaker on several projects, but smaller companies are also increasingly pooling their electricity demand together to access the economies of scale achieved through larger solar and wind projects, known as aggregation.

BNEF reports the top five companies with solar installations – are Facebook, Microsoft, Walmart, MGM Resorts and Google. The company expects the growth to continue because companies have already committed to purchasing a certain amount of clean energy.

Bloomberg NEF forecasts that the current 140 signatories of the RE100 (a pledge to offset 100% of electricity demand with renewables) will need to purchase an additional 197 TWh of clean energy in 2030 to reach their targets. Were this shortfall to be met with long-term contracts for new solar and wind projects, it would lead to an additional 100GW of build – for context, this is slightly larger than California’s entire electricity grid today.

In other words, the future of clean energy continues to be bright on a global level – and solar continues to increase its hold on the international clean-energy market. It’s nice to see something we all feel instinctually borne out by research and statistics from BNEF.