360 Wind Powered Wal-Mart Stores by April 2009
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 11.21.08
While the solar panel in this photo is pretty much a token renewable energy gesture, Wal-Mart’s wind power commitment is significantly more substantial. Photo: Wal-Mart Stores
Say what you like about Wal-Mart (and I certainly have said some less than flattering things), but sometimes the world’s largest retailer does something undeniably positive: Like make its first major purchase of wind power in the United States.
Announced yesterday, Wal-Mart Stores will be supplying 15% of the electricity in approximately 360 Texas stores and other facilities though wind power, purchased from Duke Energy. Wal-Mart says that the purchase will be the equivalent power of some 18,000 ordinary homes. Here are the rest of the details:
150 MW Wind Farm Will Provide Wal-Mart's Power
Duke will be generating the power from the under construction 150 MW Notrees Wind Power Project, which is expected to begin commercial operations in December and producing electricity for Wal-Mart by April 2009. Duke expects the project to produce about 226 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, an amount which will avoid emitting 139,000 tonnes of CO2. Or, if you prefer more down to earth references, Wal-Mart compares this to washing 108 million loads of laundry (“enough for every household in Austin, Texas to do laundry for a year”).
Speaking about the wind power purchase, Wal-Mart vice president of energy Kim Saylors-Laster said,
We’re purchasing renewable power at traditional energy rates. The wind power purchase will result in a significant decrease of greenhouse gas emissions and aligns perfectly with Wal-Mart’s long-term goal of being supplied by 100 percent renewable energy.
More at: Wal-Mart Stores and Duke Energy
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If Wal-Mart truly wanted to be green, they would build their stores in city and town centres, close to transit, places people live and work and close to other places people shop. Currently almost all Wal-Mart's destroy acres of land with their huge building, enormous parking lots and miles of roads to get them. The buildings are built all alone, so in the winter they heat air around, to no befit to other buildings, and in the summer they are the target of direct sunlight forcing them to use more energy to cool their structures. I know its a step in the right direction when anyone uses green energy, but its not green if the energy is being needlessly used. If you want Wal-MArt to change, shop in your neighbourhood and wait for them to see the change in shopping trends. Think of the extra money you spend as a carbon offset.
Bob. You bring up some good points, but you're doing something that really annoys me.
Wal-Mart is here to stay, and no matter how many people bring up good points about this and that, they're probably not going to change for awhile. You need to gear your mind to start looking at the positive things instead of completely disregarding them to point out the bad aspects.
Now, a question I have is that Wal-Mart has vast amounts of roof space. Could they not introduce utilize solar panels on their roofs as well?
@ Bob and others - Throwing stones at Wal-Mart is like blaming your parents - it get's you nowhere. I am sure that Wal-Mart is fully aware that they will never please many within the green movement and it is great that they don't care. They just keep setting targets on their green agenda and meeting them. If you don't like Wal-Mart don't shop there but to criticize their continued effort is not productive. @Bob your argument is valid from the green angle - however from their business model it does not work. They have all their stock on the showroom floor and have a lot of customers. They just simply could not purchase that much space downtown with enough parking and remain profitable. You can sell high margin retail goods in the downtown core because of the model. But selling bulk cat food at on 40 bucks a square foot downtown does not work. I wholeheartedly agree that they have done things wrong - however out of all the major retail "big box" chains in the world - not one has stepped up to the plate like them in leading for sustainable operations. If they greenwash and lie - for sure go after them - but if they lead by example then give them credit for that.
Cheers - Eric
Check out the Walmart store in McKinney, texas for more of their green initiatives. It is a test site involving a windmill generating power in the parking lot, water reservoirs etc... it goes beyond just purchasing renewable energy.
hey have all their stock on the showroom floor and have a lot of customers. They just simply could not purchase that much space downtown with enough parking and remain profitable. You can sell high margin retail goods in the downtown core because of the model. But selling bulk cat food at on 40 bucks a square foot downtown does not work. I wholeheartedly agree that they have done things wrong - however out of all the major retail "big box" chains in the world - not one has stepped up to the plate like them in leading for sustainable operations.
Walmart is part of the problem Why can people ignore taht taking small business outof the loop and letting major conglomerates take over is part of the problem
The renewable energy effort is amazing today.
I never thought it would develop this quickly.
If Walmart is investing in it then it must be
not only clean, but lean too.
thanks from tony
108 million loads of laundry. If Walmart wants to use a high number, how about how many times the energy they get from coal-fired power plants is the energy they are getting from this new Texas wind project. I bet that's in the hundreds of thousands anyway. Washing machines dont use much energy and people probably line-dry their clothes a lot in Austin. This sounds like Walmart propaganda. Keep on trying, I suppose, but this is such a drop in the bucket.
Wal-Mart is ahead of the game! They are realistic about the republican depression we are facing, and will help us adapt to the paradigm shift upon us by providing LED lights and solar panels with the batteries for storage to run them! They may even sell double walled tents we will need when our uber-rich evict us from the McMansions their unfair building codes and shabby mortgages forced us into - We are in a position where Wal-Mart has become the only champion of the "nouveau-poor " a rapidly growing class in the U.S.A. and a group Obama's socialist programs will appeal to! When the Chinese eco-cars, waiting on the docks in Shanghai arrive in America, Wal-Mart can sell them, along with the tires and other automobilia they sell now! I can hardly wait, a whole goddam car for under $8000.00 and the lowert price is the law!
Eric is correct. There are some things that I don't like about Walmart, but they are leading in innovation, and the fact is that you can buy almost everything you need there. Isn't that green in it's own right? One stop shopping without the need to commute all around town! On top of that, several of the Walmarts in Columbus, OH are on the bus route. GO BUCKS!
Sorry to post another anti-Walmart comment, but if they truly wanted to be green, they would purchase more goods from US manufacturers and less from Chinese, who probably care very little about the environment and lots about profits.