Kahului Walmart Goes Solar

File photo.

By Sonia Isotov

Walmart today announced that their Kahului store, and their stores in Kailua-Kona and Kapolei, have all completed new solar power installations.

“We’re excited about the expansion of our solar program in the islands and this important step towards our goal of being supplied 100% by renewable energy,” said Rey Armijo, Hawaii Market Manager for Walmart, in a written statement.

Similar installations are already in operation atop the Honolulu Sam’s Club and Mililani Walmart on Oahu, and the Lihue Walmart on Kauai, says the company.

A spokesperson said that during the first full year of production, the 311 kilowatt solar power rooftop system on each store will produce more than 400,000 kilowatt hours of solar electricity. Further, that each rooftop system could eliminate 320 metric tons of C02e (carbon dioxide equivalent) annually.

One year of operation for each rooftop system could be equivalent to removing 67 cars off the road for one year. The three systems combined could remove the equivalent of 2,010 cars over a 10-year period, or 9600 metric tons of C02e, Walmart claims.