Walmart Completes Solar Installations in Maryland

By Sonia Su 

Retailer Walmart and solar power systems provider SolarCity completed 10 solar installations on Tuesday throughout Maryland that will generate clean, renewable electricity, according to a press release.

Walmart stores in Arbutus, Berlin, California, Cockeysville, Fallston, Hagerstown, Laurel and Severn, along with Sam’s Clubs in Salisbury and Severn, will provide more than 3.1 megawatts of generation capacity.

"We're helping businesses take advantage of solar incentives so they can save money while embracing the job-creating, planet-saving potential of our green economy," Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley said in the release.

Every year, the new solar installations have enough energy to power nearly 370 homes. About 4.1 million kilowatt hours of electricity will supply 5 to 20 percent of each store's overall electricity use, according to the release.

These installations help Maryland's goals for "advancing clean renewable energy and creating green jobs" toward a more sustainable future, O'Malley said.

"The partnership between SolarCity and Walmart shows that we're taking the right steps," Abigail Ross Hopper, director of the Maryland Energy Administration, said in the release.

SolarCity CEO Lyndon Rive said in the release that these installations can set an example for others to follow.

"It's possible for many Maryland businesses to pay less for solar power than they currently pay for electricity," Rive said.

Maryland's Renewable Portfolio Standard looks toward 20 pecent renewable energy production by 2022, through programs that offset the cost of installing solar, wind and other renewable energy systems, according to MEA.

O'Malley also hopes to reduce Maryland's per capita consumption by 15 percent by 2015, according to Maryland StateStat.

Walmart aims to be fully supplied by renewable energy in the future and to install 1,000 stores with solar power by 2020, the release states.