Kohl’s Department Stores (NYSE: KSS) announced that it plans to convert more than 50 of its existing New Jersey, Connecticut and Maryland locations to solar power, representing nearly 80% of its locations in these three states.
With these installations, the Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin-based company becomes the largest retail host of solar power, and its distributed solar program is now the largest in the world among retailers.
Kohl’s has converted more than 25 of its 88 California locations to solar power with plans to activate approximately 50 additional sites in the state. Solar installations are also under way at three Wisconsin locations, and Kohl’s hopes to add other states to its growing solar offering before year-end.
On average, solar panels provide 30% of a store’s annual energy, the company said. The total East Coast program is expected to offset 370 million pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) over the 20-year program and is equivalent to removing more than 36,200 cars from the road for one year.
In April 2007, Kohl’s made the largest commitment to solar energy in U.S. history. Following that, the EPA recognized Kohl’s with a Green Power Leadership Award for being the No. 2 retail purchaser of renewable energy.
Ken Bonning, executive vice president of logistics for Kohl’s, sad, "We launched our California solar initiative one year ago and are excited to add East Coast locations to the program, making Kohl’s distributed solar power program the largest in the world among retailers."
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