Walmart expands solar installations in Hawaii

Thursday, Feb 28, 2013

KAPOLEI, Hawaii, Feb. 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Walmart and SunEdison today announced the completion of new solar power installations in the islands at three Walmart stores in Kahului, Kailua-Kona and Kapolei, doubling the total number of stores in Hawaii powered by renewable solar energy. The installations contribute to the company's broader aspirational goal of being supplied 100 percent by renewable energy. Similar installations are already in operation atop the Honolulu Sam's Club and Mililani Walmart on Oahu, and the Lihue Walmart on Kauai.

During the first full year of production, the 311 kilowatt solar power rooftop system on each store will produce more than 400,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of solar electricity. Each rooftop system will eliminate 320 metric tons of CO2e annually. That means the three systems combined, over a 10-year period will eliminate 9600 metric tons. One year of operation for each rooftop system is equivalent to removing 67 cars off the road for one year. That means the three systems combined will remove the equivalent of 2,010 cars over a 10-year period.

"We are committed to making decisions that are not only good for business and the environment, but also allow us to pass on savings to our customers," said Rey Armijo, Hawaii Market Manager for Walmart. "We're excited about the expansion of our solar program in the islands and this important step towards our goal of being supplied 100 percent by renewable energy."

"Fantastic!  I congratulate Walmart for making this wise decision to reduce their electricity bills and do good for the environment through solar PV," said Senate Energy & Environment Committee Chair and State Senator Mike Gabbard.

Learn more about Walmart's commitment to sustainability at The Green Room and follow us on Twitter (@WalmartGreen) to get updates about sustainability efforts and milestones. Additional information about our commitment to renewable energy is also available on our website.

About Walmart

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, more than 200 million customers and members visit our 10,700 stores under 69 banners in 27 countries and e-commerce websites in 10 countries. With fiscal year 2012 sales of approximately $444 billion, Walmart employs more than 2.2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmartgreen. Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com and http://www.samsclub.com.

About SunEdison

SunEdison is a global leader in delivering solar power. The company develops, finances, installs and operates distributed power plants using proven photovoltaic technologies, delivering fully managed, predictably priced solar energy services for its commercial, government and utility customers. As of December 31, 2012, SunEdison had interconnected over 989 Megawatts of solar electricity throughout the world. For more information about SunEdison please visit www.sunedison.com. SunEdison is a subsidiary of MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. (NYSE: WFR).

SOURCE Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.