“This store is really a functional test kitchen that can help us achieve our larger goal of 100% renewable electricity.”
Targeted shoppers in California may notice the giant solar panels above their cars as the retailer launches its first net-zero energy store featuring 1,800 solar carport panels.
The Target store in Vista, California, became a testing ground for the company’s most sustainable store to date.It took three years from inception to implementation, and the completed store now includes 1,800 solar carport panels and another 1,620 solar roof panels – expected to generate an annual energy surplus of up to 10%.
The newly installed solar panels will also power the store’s HVAC heating system instead of using natural gas.The store has also introduced CO2 refrigeration, a natural refrigerant that Target hopes to expand to all of its stores by 2040 in an effort to reduce emissions from its direct operations by 20 percent.
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“This store is truly a functional test kitchen that can help us achieve our larger goal of 100 percent renewable electricity,” Target’s lead solar program manager, Rachel Swanson, said in a statement.
The Vista, Calif., store also installed more than 1,300 LED lights, which together can reduce Target’s total energy bill by 10 percent.
Target has developed a sustainability strategy called Target Forward, which aims to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the enterprise by 2040.It hopes to achieve this by sourcing 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
Vista Target stores aren’t the only ones with solar panels, the company has installed rooftop solar systems in more than 540 stores and has 114 electric vehicle charging stations at retail locations across the country.
“Target remains a top enterprise solar user and we are excited to see Target double its clean energy commitment with new solar carports and energy efficient buildings with this innovative and sustainable retrofit,” President and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper said the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).
Target isn’t the only company making progress on sustainable operations, as SEIA sees a growing number of businesses using solar energy for their operations, such as Walmart, Kohl’s, Costco, Apple and IKEA.Overall, the U.S. company with the most solar capacity now has 1,110 systems totaling 569 megawatts — enough to power more than 115,000 homes.
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Post time: Mar-21-2022
