2Sustain

Walmart plans to install solar panels on up to 60 more stores in California –which means the company will be generating solar energy at more than 75 percent of its stores in the state.

When complete, Walmart’s total solar commitment in California is expected to:

• Generate up to 70 million kilowatt hours of clean, renewable energy per year, which is the equivalent of powering more than 5,400 homes (using the EPA calculator).
• Avoid producing more than 21,700 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, which is the equivalent of taking approximately 4,100 cars off the road (using the EPA calculator).
• Provide 20 to 30 percent of each facility’s total electric needs.
• Total more than 130 stores by the end of 2013.
• Make California the first state in the US where Walmart has devoted this level of commitment to renewable energy. (more…)

Last week, US Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced a detailed draft environmental analysis that identifies public lands best-suited for solar development in six western states.

The study, called the Draft Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS), was compiled over the past two years as part of the Obama Administration’s efforts to create a framework for developing renewable energy on America’s public lands. More specifically, the Draft Solar PEIS assessed the environmental, social, and economic impacts associated with solar energy development on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) administered areas in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.

(more…)

In light of the BP oil spill disaster now occurring in the Gulf of Mexico, I can’t say that I’m surprised. But, even so, it’s still encouraging to hear that in a recent survey by Applied Materials, three-quarters of Americans feel that increasing renewable energy and decreasing U.S. dependence on foreign oil are the country’s top energy priorities.

The new survey, conducted by phone during the period June 10-13, 2010, polled a nationally representative sample of 1,000 American adults, and in addition to identifying widespread support for renewable energy initiatives, the study also revealed a growing willingness among consumers to help pay for alternatives to petroleum-based energy sources. (more…)

Manufacturing capacity for solar panels will rise at a rate of 45% each year, from 875 megawatts in 2008 to 3,880 megawatts in 2012, and manufacturing capacity for solar cells will trend the same way, rising 50% each year from 785 megawatts in 2008 to 4,001 megawatts by the end of 2012, according to a new report from GTM Research.

The new study, titled “PV Manufacturing in the United States: Market Outlook, Incentives and Supply Chain Opportunities,” also concludes that:
(more…)