The Home Depot Converting 50 Rooftops to Solar Farms

The Home Depot® today announced the addition of solar installations at 50 stores as it continues to expand its alternative energy portfolio, essentially creating mini solar farms out of unused rooftops.

The project will reduce electricity grid demand by an estimated 30 to 35 percent annually at each Home Depot store; the equivalent of powering 2,300 average U.S. homes for a year. The average store roof, at approximately 104,000 square feet, will accommodate 1,000 panels.

The Home Depot is working with Current, powered by GE, on 20 solar installations at stores in New Jersey, as well as eight stores in Connecticut, Maryland and Washington, DC. An additional 22 stores in California and New York will receive solar, of which six will utilize Tesla Powerpacks to store energy and dispatch additional power as needed.

“Our alternative energy projects are important elements of our sustainability and operations efforts as they reduce carbon emissions while also lowering our energy costs,” said David Hawkins, vice president of labor and operations for The Home Depot.

The company’s current alternative and renewable portfolio includes:
-Solar Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) in Delaware and Massachusetts
-Fuel cells at more than 170 stores and distribution centers
-The Los Mirasoles Wind Farm northeast of McAllen, Texas, announced this January
-The Zopiloapan Wind Farm located in central Mexico, added this June

The solar addition will bring the company’s alternative energy footprint to more than 130 megawatts (MW) as it pursues the goal of utilizing 135 MW of alternative and renewable energy by 2020.
more at: http://ir.homedepot.com/news-releases/2017/08-17-2017-133043951

Related Posts

Renewable fiber is the main volume raw material for Huhtamaki – Already nearly 70% of product portfolio consists of fiber-based products

The food industry is among the several fields that are introducing wood and fiber based raw materials at an accelerating pace. Huhtamaki is increasing the use of renewable and versatile materials, such as paper and cardboard, and nearly 70% of Huhtamaki’s product portfolio is already made of fiber-based products. Huhtamaki’s goal is that 100% of the wood fiber in its products comes from recycled or certified sustainable sources and in 2018, we reached 98% level. The company is investing in innovation that introduces renewable, safe materials and solutions for food packaging. “Fiber packaging is a key innovation area for us, and in some applications, it can fully replace plastic,” says Richard Ali, Sustainability Director from Huhtamaki Foodservice Europe-Asia-Oceania.

Finland: experience and enthusiasm combine

Finland was one of the first countries to achieve endorsement of its national forest certification system back in 2000, and today most of Finland’s forests are PEFC-certified. Recognizing the scale of Finnish forest sector, Ben and Fabienne Sinclair, responsible for marketing, travelled out to meet with the country’s numerous stakeholders. “This visit was an excellent opportunity for us to get an update, and I am very pleased with the strong progress that PEFC is making,” said Antti Sahi, Secretary General of MTK, which represents farmers, forest owners and rural entrepreneurs in Finland.

Small-forest owners at the heart of PEFC

As we celebrate our 20th anniversary, we have spoken a lot about the importance of small-forest owners. They are the reason we were created. But how do we ensure that they can access certification? The answer is group certification. Group certification enables small-forest landowners to group together and organize themselves, pool their resources and work as a team to achieve certification. This makes PEFC certification affordable and practical for smallholders. Around one million small-forest owners have achieved PEFC certification through group certification, and the number continues to grow. This is a testimony to the fact that forest certification is possible for small landholders, and that it is a powerful and cost-effective way of promoting forest conservation and sustainable management. Click Read More below for additional information.
Back To Top
×Close search
Search