Walmart’s sustainability initiatives are often criticized, with progress dismissed as slowand modest. But there’s one fact that Walmart’s detractors can’t ignore: the big box chain has more installed solar capacity and more solar energy systems than any other U.S. company in existence.
The report, from the Solar Energy Industries Association, cites Costco, Kohl’s, Ikea, and Macy’s among other top solar producers in the country. But does this mean that Walmart is some sort of renewable energy hero? After all, the company has significantly more installed solar capacity than Costco, the second-place company (65,000 kW versus 38,900 kW).
Remember: Walmart is the biggest company in the world, so we might expect them to have more solar capacity than other large companies. In the U.S., 2% of the company’s power comes from renewable sources (it’s a number that is rapidly growing, however).