Walmart Puerto Rico Goes Solar With SunEdison

Walmart Puerto Rico has entered a joint venture with SunEdison to install rooftop solar panels on five of the company’s stores in Puerto Rico. The partnership eventually will expand to cover a total of 23 stores over the next five years. Walmart’s venture will the largest solar project ever developed on the island country.

The rooftop systems will differ in structure and size from store to store, however each one is expected to generate up to 35% of the store’s in which its installed electricity needs. The deal calls for SunEdison to fund, build, operate, retain ownership of the installed photovoltaic solar panels. Walmart Supercenter in the city of Caguas is slated to be the first solar power recipient and construction is scheduled to begin sometime near the end of 2009. The system will house 895kW of power.

Although the rooftop systems will each be unique to the buildings specific structures, each system is anticipated to produce at least 25-35% of the store’s energy needs. Walmart and SunEdison have signed a fifteen year contract and expects to produce 90 million kilowatt hours of zero emissions electricity.

The first five locations that Walmart Puerto Rico has chosen as test facilities are:Sam’s Club Rexville, Sam’s Club Ponce, Wal-Mart Super Center Ponce Baramaya, Wal-Mart Super Center Manati, and the first installation will take place at Wal-Mart Super Center Caguas. Each centre based on size will receive anywhere from 800kW-1300kW of capable energy output.