Walmart Canada Invests $2 million in Renewable Energy
Located on top of the Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario store, the rooftop solar power-generating system is expected to generate 450,000 kilowatt hours of energy per year, enough to supply 39 average size Canadian households. The solar system will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions GHG by an estimated 80 tonnes per year.
Adjacent to the Milton, Ontario store, the 20-kilowatt wind turbine is expected to generate as much as 50,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, enough to power four average size Canadian households. The wind turbine has been designed for low wind speed areas, where wind power has not been previously practical, and can operate in wind speeds as low as 10 kilometres per hour.
Power generated will be returned to the electrical grid under Ontario's feed-in tariff program for renewable energy. The company will use these pilot projects to assess the effectiveness and potential benefits of these systems to potentially power some of its stores in the future.
"Walmart Canada is committed to one day operating with 100 per cent renewable energy," said Roger Snowball, director of design at Walmart Canada. "These pilot projects allow us to test new technologies in a real-world setting, so that we can apply the best practices and learning to new stores in the future."
The projects also allow Walmart Canada to invest in Canadian businesses. The rooftop solar power-generating system was assembled and installed by BramKal Contractors, of Burlington, Ontario.
Related News

California's solar energy gains go up in wildfire smoke
LOS ANGELES - Smoke from California’s unprecedented wildfires was so bad that it cut a significant chunk of solar power production in the state. Solar power generation dropped off by nearly a third in early September as wildfires darkened the skies with smoke, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
Those fires create thick smoke, laden with particles that block sunlight both when they’re in the air and when they settle onto solar panels. In the first two weeks of September, soot and smoke caused solar-powered electricity generation to fall 30 percent compared to the July average, according to the California…