CNN
—
As the US endeavors to diminish its substantial dependence on fossil fuels and transition to cleaner energy alternatives, numerous specialists are considering an encouraging option: the major retail stores and malls in your area.
The available rooftops and parking areas at retail behemoths such as Walmart, Target, and Costco are immense. These primarily unoccupied areas are being promoted as unexploited opportunities for solar energy that could assist the US in lessening its reliance on imported energy, dramatically reduce greenhouse emissions, and save corporations millions of dollars in the process.
At the IKEA outlet in Baltimore, the installation of solar panels atop the roof and covering the parking area decreased the store’s energy purchases by 84%, reducing costs by 57% from September to December 2020, as stated by the company. (The panels also provide beneficial shade, helping keep customers’ vehicles cool during scorching sunny days.)
As of February 2021, IKEA had installed 54 solar arrays across 90% of its US locations.
Major retail stores and shopping centers possess sufficient rooftop area to generate half of their yearly electricity from solar, according to a report by the nonprofit Environment America and the research firm Frontier Group.
Maximizing the solar rooftop potential of these superstores could produce enough electricity to power almost 8 million average households, the report concluded, while also eliminating a significant amount of greenhouse emissions equal to removing 11.3 million gasoline-powered vehicles from the roads.
The typical Walmart store, for instance, has around 180,000 square feet of rooftop area, per the report. That’s about the size of three football fields and enough to support solar energy capable of powering around 200 homes, according to the findings.
“Every rooftop across America that isn’t harnessing solar power is a squandered opportunity as we strive to lessen our reliance on fossil fuels and mitigate the geopolitical tensions associated with them,” stated Johanna Neumann, senior director for Environment America’s 100% Renewable campaign, to CNN. “Now is the moment to advocate for local renewable energy initiatives, and there’s no better site than the rooftops of America’s large superstores.”
Supporters involved in training programs for clean energy workers indicate to CNN that a solar transformation in large retail would also provide a substantial benefit to local communities, fostering economic development while addressing the climate crisis, which has impacted disproportionately challenging issues for underprivileged communities.
However, only a small percentage of big-box retailers in the US have solar panels installed on their rooftops or solar canopies in their parking lots, the report’s authors informed CNN.
CNN reached out to five leading US retailers — Walmart, Kroger, Home Depot, Costco, and Target — to inquire: Why not enhance investment in rooftop solar solutions?
Many renewable energy professionals identify solar as a comparatively straightforward strategy for reducing costs and curbing fossil fuel emissions, yet companies cite various hindrances — regulatory challenges, labor expenses, and structural concerns regarding the rooftops themselves — that inhibit broader implementation.
The urgency for such clean energy initiatives is escalating, particularly as climate change becomes more pronounced, according to Edwin Cowen, a civil and environmental engineering professor at Cornell University.
“We are certainly behind the curve, to say the least,” Cowen expressed to CNN. “I would have appreciated seeing policies that incentivize rooftop solar a decade prior rather than five years ago in commercial settings. There’s still considerable work ahead.”
What’s the delay?
Neumann remarked that Walmart, the country’s top retailer, holds the most significant solar potential. With nearly 5,000 locations throughout the US and more than 783 million square feet of rooftop space — a footprint larger than Manhattan — and an approximate annual rooftop solar potential of 8,974 gigawatt hours, per the report.
This capacity can power more than 842,000 households, as per the report.
A spokesperson for Walmart, Mariel Messier, informed CNN that the company is engaged in renewable energy initiatives globally, with many not focused on rooftop solar. The company has disclosed having completed wind and solar projects both on-site and off-site, or is in progress, with a potential output exceeding 2.3 gigawatts of renewable energy.
Neumann mentioned that Environment America has engaged with Walmart on several occasions, encouraging them to make a commitment to installing solar systems on rooftops and in parking facilities. The company has stated its aim is to obtain 100% of its energy from renewable sources by 2035.
“Among all the retailers in America, Walmart can have the most substantial impact if they install rooftop solar on every store,” Neumann expressed to CNN. “For us, this report highlights the significant difference they could make if they decide to proceed.”
Environment America indicates that by the close of the 2021 fiscal year, Walmart had nearly 194 megawatts of solar capacity installed at its US facilities along with extra capacity at off-site solar farms. The company’s setups in California were projected to supply between 20% and 30% of the power requirements for each site.
Target was rated No. 1 for on-site solar capacity in 2019, based on the most recent report from industry advocate Solar Energy Industries Association, provided here. Currently, it boasts 542 locations outfitted with rooftop solar — about a quarter of the firm’s stores — according to a spokesperson for Target. Rooftop solar is sufficient to fulfill 15% to 40% of energy requirements at Target properties, the spokesperson reported.
Richard Galanti, the CFO of Costco, indicated the company has 121 stores worldwide equipped with rooftop solar, 95 of which are situated in the US.
Walmart, Target, and Costco did not provide CNN with details on the primary obstacles they face in implementing rooftop or parking lot solar solutions at additional locations.
Estimated number of households that companies could power via rooftop solar
“My theory is that they require a more compelling business case for shifting from traditional operations,” Neumann suggested. “Historically, all those rooftops have merely protected their stores, and reconsidering how [they] utilize their facilities by viewing them as energy producers, rather than just rain shields, demands a minor adjustment in their business strategy.”
Home Depot, with approximately 2,300 locations, has successfully completed 75 rooftop solar projects, is working on 12 more, and has over 30 planned for future development, according to Craig D’Arcy, the director of energy management for the company. Solar energy currently provides around half of the energy requirements for these stores, he noted.
Outdated rooftops at stores are a “significant barrier” to solar installation, D’Arcy clarified. If a roof is expected to need replacement within the next 15 to 20 years or sooner, it would not be financially viable for Home Depot to install solar facilities at this time, according to him.
“We aim to implement solar rooftops where the economics are favorable,” D’Arcy stated in an interview with CNN.
CNN also reached out to Kroger, which owns roughly 2,800 stores in the US. Kristal Howard, a spokesperson for Kroger, indicated that the company currently has 15 properties, including stores, distribution centers, and manufacturing facilities, outfitted with solar systems. One of the “numerous factors impacting the feasibility of a solar installation” is the stores’ capability to support solar operations on the roofs, according to Howard.
Cowen, the engineering educator at Cornell, noted that solar technology is already appealing; however, labor expenses, incentives, and various levels of regulation may present financial obstacles for solar installations.
“For them, this typically requires enlisting a local site firm capable of performing the installation and familiar with local statutes,” Cowen said. “This adds another layer of complexity that is becoming increasingly logical as costs decrease, yet it necessitates reopening paths to integrate into existing structures.”
Representative Sean Casten from Illinois, who co-chairs the power sector task force in the House, asserted that the US has “failed to offer the incentives for individuals with the expertise to construct these systems.” The reason both retail enterprises and the energy sector have not advanced significantly with solar initiatives is due to “our fragmented system” and the intricate regulatory framework, noted Casten.
“Why aren’t we pursuing something economically sensible? The answer lies in this disjointed federal policy that heavily subsidizes fossil fuel extraction while penalizing clean energy production,” he explained to CNN. “For many years, if you aimed to set up solar panels on the roof of Walmart, your greatest opposition was likely to come from your local utility, as they were uninterested in losing business.”
“We could have accomplished this many years ago,” Casten remarked. “Had we taken action, we wouldn’t be facing the current climate situation, and we would also have more funds available.”
Acting on climate, equitably
For Charles Callaway, the director of organizing at the nonprofit group WE ACT for Environmental Justice, enhancing the solar capability across the rooftops of big-box retail chains is an obvious decision, particularly if those companies allow the local community to benefit, whether through installation jobs or accessing the electricity produced later.
Either way, it would significantly contribute to alleviating the climate crisis and facilitate a just transition away from fossil fuels — and it can indeed happen, Callaway shared with CNN.
The New York City resident led a worker training initiative that prepared over 100 local community members, predominantly people of color, to become solar installers. He also established a solar workers cooperative to ensure many of the training participants secure employment in a challenging market.
Over the past two years, Callaway stated that his organization has installed solar panels on the roofs of affordable housing developments and also equipment capable of generating 2 megawatts of solar energy in shopping malls in upstate New York. He emphasized the advantages of hiring locally, as local installers have the best understanding of the community and its regulations.
“One of my major concerns is social equity,” Cowen remarked. “Access to renewable energy has become a privilege in today’s society, and we need to find solutions to change that.”
Jasmine Graham, WE ACT’s energy justice policy manager, noted that the promise of building rooftop solar on large retail outlets is hopeful, provided “these endeavors utilize local labor, pay prevailing wages, and offer this solar energy in a community solar manner, allowing [utility] bill discounts for residents in the same utility zone.”
The urgency is increasing for global leaders to respond swiftly to the climate challenge following a UN report issued in late February warning that the timeframe for action is swiftly closing.
Neumann believes that the US can fulfill its energy needs with renewable sources. Achieving this requires the political commitment to facilitate that transition, ensuring that local communities are included so no one is left behind.
“The sooner we transition, the sooner we will enjoy cleaner air, a healthier planet, and a more sustainable future for our children,” Neumann expressed. “And while this may require investments, it is a venture worth pursuing.”
CNN’s Judson Jones contributed to this report.
