It is a well-known fact by now that human advancements in society have contributed to the decline of the Earth’s environmental state. This began as early as the industrial revolution where, back in the 18th to the 19th century, much of the mankind’s advancements in industry and machinery have paved way for a sudden population boom.
This boom meant that people could sustain agriculture without much manpower, giving a lot of people more opportunities than farming, hence the birth of urban or city life. This is where people flocked to the cities to look for better opportunities instead, in fact, this is still happening now to the population in major cities even in the US. The more people there are in a limited area, the more they need in terms of food, shelter, healthcare, and of course, energy.
This aspect of human need has always been one of its oldest problems, from the good old-fashioned bonfire to generate heat up until today’s electricity for basically everything in the modern world. Energy is always a constant need for humanity, the problem is, for most of the modern human history, the largest corporations and utility providers have always used staggering amounts of energy to fuel their operations, and this energy was mostly obtained through non-renewable resources such as coal or oil.
One good alternative, of course, is solar energy, particularly for those living in sunny areas of the US such as California. It is essentially free energy from the sun which it burns off in spades. Solar panels from industries such as SunPower have made it so that people can easily harness the power of the sun to provide for their own needs without relying on coal or oil which both have destructive trade-offs to the environment.
Believe it or not, this has been done already not only by people but by large corporations with huge needs for energy. Some of the biggest commercial and industrial companies have gone green and replaced their traditional energy source with solar power.
These companies have gone green
From the smallest solar energy consumption to the largest, here they are:
Hartz Mountain
Those who live in New Jersey and are constantly traveling around the place might have seen this already since it is not really hard to miss. Hartz Mountain’s 23-megawatt (MW) solar energy emplacement has been dubbed as New Jersey’s biggest commercial rooftop solar power owner. Hartz Mountain is a private- and family-owned business established in the region which primarily deals in real estate but had its humble beginnings in a pet products business.
Today, though Hartz Mountain has branched off as a different company from the pet products business and has since acquired about 1,800 acres close to Manhattan. So it is not difficult to see why they chose solar energy, that much land area is actually beneficial to renewable technology.
General Growth Properties
This one is in Chicago and has a solar energy generation rate of about 30 MW– enough to act as a replacement for the traditional coal or oil power plant. Because of this, General Growth Properties has achieved much in terms of contributing to the well-being of the environment. Since replacing its energy source to solar, the company has managed to reduce its carbon footprint by 23,200 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), that is a lot of smoke emission that they managed to eliminate.
Additionally, General Growth Properties was able to cut its water consumption by 64 million gallons. Of course, it also managed to cut electricity consumption by around 215 million kilowatt hours. Considering how big and impactful of an industry they are to the environment, this is actually a huge achievement and is even a nice win-win solution for everyone.
Macy’s
One of America’s largest and oldest department store chains, Macy’s has a recorded installed solar energy capacity of 39 MW. It is certainly more spread out in the country compared to the other two mentioned companies above since Macy’s is a department store business. What it did though, is to equip each of its chain facilities with solar energy capability.
Because of this, in addition to not being dependent on nonrenewable energy sources, Macy’s has also managed to reduce waste that goes into landfills by about 70 percent. This is quite a big metric for a department store chain which definitely has a lot of waste materials every day.
Sunpower also has had a hand in helping Macy achieve such an environment-friendly goal by being part of a solar energy deal with them during 2016. Needless to say, the partnership was fruitful and beneficial to everyone.
IKEA
One of the biggest and most world-renowned businesses in the world, IKEA is a household name these days. Their types of furniture are also probably ubiquitous in a lot of homes because of their robust catalog of products. Now, IKEA is doing the world good by making sure 90 percent of all of its stores are running on solar energy.
They do plan on making it reach 100 percent, as they projected, by 2020, all of its solar energy emplacements will be able to generate as much energy as it consumes, meaning it could only be a matter of time before the remaining 10 percent of IKEA stores go green as well. By that time, IKEA could also be able to produce more than its current capacity of 44 MW.
Kohl’s
Kohl’s is one big environmental success story, since 2015, the company has declared that it had achieved 100 percent carbon neutrality. This means having a net zero carbon footprint, no smoke, or any carbon waste material which can damage the ozone layer of the Earth. Not many companies can claim that.
Kohl’s also boasts an impressive solar energy generation rate of about 50 MW, not surprising since its main building has a sweet collection of over 160 solar arrays. Regardless, Kohl’s does not seem to show any signs of stopping its environment-friendly streak, which is both good for the company and the environment.
Costco
Coming in at 51 MW, Costco has promised to make to keep improving its renewable energy and sustainable power model thanks to solar energy. The retail company has done so successfully since 2015, and as one of the many retailers in the US, Costco sets a good example of large and ubiquitous companies going green.
Apple
It is good to know that purchasing the latest iPhone can at least help the environment, if only a little, since its manufacturer Apple has gone green in its energy aspect. The tech giant is actually capable of generating 94 MW of electricity now thanks to its shift to solar energy.
Apple is one of the biggest and best examples of companies that rely on renewable energy, its operations in dozens of countries are all 100 percent powered by renewable energy. Rest assured, the company is keen on promoting clean energy.
Prologis
Prologis, an industrial real estate business in the US can produce as much as 108 MW of solar energy. It also boasts enough solar capacity that amounts to more than any in the 27 states of the US.
Of course, being based in San Francisco, California, this is probably already a given for them since it’s a naturally sunny state and is ripe for solar power opportunities.
Walmart
This might come as a surprise for some since business as big as Walmart is actually running mostly on solar energy. It does make sense, however, since their chain establishments usually are horizontally large buildings, making for a perfect spot for solar panels.
Because of this, Walmart is able to generate 145 MW of solar energy, which is enough to sustain most of its numerous establishments spread out all over the US. Now the common Joe can rest assured that their favorite retail store is actually promoting clean and green energy.
We are also proud to declare that one of Walmart’s earliest deals for solar energy was with Sunpower back in 2008. This was the humble beginnings of Walmart’s noble undertaking for the environment, and it involved Sunpower at its forefront.
Target
Now, what would be a bigger shock than Walmart going full green? Well, there is the fact that their competitor target is actually a bigger solar energy producer than them. The tally is a bit close though since Target actually comes in at 147 MW, back in 2016, which is just 2 MW more than Walmart’s back in the same year.
Nevertheless, Target seems to have the same clean and green goals as Walmart and the other companies mentioned above and then some. In addition to saving electricity and fossil fuels, Target has also incorporated water-saving features to its buildings. By the year 2020, Target has set a goal of arming its 500 buildings with solar energy capacity, making it the top contender in this list of big corporations that have assumed solar power.
Honorable mentions
Some of these companies might not be as big as the ones above in terms of solar energy generation, but they are certainly catching up and setting a good example. Additionally, they are partners of Sunpower, as a testament to the solar energy array provider’s dedication to renewable energy.
FedEx
Back in 2005, one of FedEx’s hub in Oakland, California became a prime foundation for the company’s foray into clean and renewable energy. Since then, the shift has been quite fruitful for both FedEx and Sunpower, helping not only the environment but also the company’s wellness goals.
Johnson & Johnson
Sunpower’s deal with Johnson & Johnson came as far back as 2002, much earlier than FedEx but was equally successful. The company was able to advance its business philosophy and save a lot of electricity carbon emissions because of solar energy.
United States Postal Service (USPS)
This deal was even earlier than the two above and actually took place in 2001. Sunpower not only helps private-owned companies but governments as well in its implementation of solar power arrays for the USPS which has been around since 1776. This was also one of Sunpower’s earliest deals and projects to introduce solar power to large establishments.
Toyota
Last year, Sunpower was proud to announce that it finished a big solar power project for automotive giant, Toyota. The deal involved 20,000 solar panels and a total of 8.79 MW of renewable solar energy for the company. This was one of Sunpower’s latest projects in the solar industry field.
Hewlett Packard (HP)
Back in 2007, HP itself announced that it would be pursuing a partnership deal for renewable energy both in Ireland and in the US, the latter deal being handled by none other than Sunpower. This was one of the company’s ways to reduce its global carbon footprint.
Choose clean, choose Sunpower
It is only a matter of time before all the oil and all the coal in the world run out and after that? Mankind will have to wait another hundred million years for them to be available again. The clock is ticking on modern society. So there is no better time to use solar energy than now to save the future. There is no better way to prepare for tomorrow than ensuring that one of your constant needs is taken care of, solar energy is one of the best ways to take care of your energy needs.
One investment to solar energy is all it takes to be a part of a bigger solution, a more viable solution for our children who will inherit this Earth. We must make sure we leave them with a clean environment.
With the number of companies both big and small now choosing to go for a cleaner and greener approach to energy, there simply is no more excuse to retain coal and oil-fueled electricity. If large multinational companies can do it, so can everyone else. Sunpower makes sure everyone has options whether you are a family or a large business. There are readily available companies out there that are always willing to provide a safer and better solution for the future of Earth’s environment, including one of the best of them, which is Sunpower.