Photovoltaic news and pv jobs

Walmart goes solar in California

Major U.S. discount retailer Walmart has announced plans to expand the number of its stores featuring photovoltaic installations by 60. This means 75 percent of Walmart stores in California will have solar arrays.

500 jobs have been created by SolarCity since commencing the Walmart solar project. Image: Walmart.

The installations will provide 20 to 30 percent of each store’s electricity needs. When completed, Walmart will have 130 stores in California will solar installations.

SolarCity is completing the installations and CEO Lyndon Rive said that Walmart has begun one of the most ambitious solar programs in the country. "Walmart is setting an example that far more companies in the U.S. can follow; it is possible for many businesses to pay less for solar power than they currently pay for electricity."

Walmart has set the goal of sourcing all of its energy from renewable sources. It has also invested in wind farms.

In the continuation of a trend that solar companies have been keen to highlight in the U.S., SolarCity has created many hundreds of jobs in California. Since the Walmart initiative began, SolarCity has hired 500 new staff.