The renewable power motion nonetheless has a methods to go to fulfill the bold local weather objectives set by the Biden Administration. However, we have fun victories once we can.
The US presently produces the second highest quantity of solar energy on the planet, trailing solely China. By the tip of 2021, the US has produced 95,209 megawatts (MW) of photo voltaic power – that is sufficient to energy 18 million houses.1
For a lot of that progress, we have now American firms to thank. We all know EcoWatch does not normally applaud massive companies for serving to the planet. And we’re not saying their adoption of photo voltaic will erase their local weather errors both.
However once more, we have fun victories once we can. And American firms are putting in document ranges of photo voltaic installations to energy their operations. These companies now make up 14% of all put in photo voltaic capability within the US – greater than 19 gigawatts (or 19,000 MW) in complete – in line with the Photo voltaic Means Enterprise 2022 Report.2
With out additional ado, listed here are the highest 10 photo voltaic firm adopters in 2022:
- Meta: 3,588 MW
- Amazon: 1,115 MW
- Apple: 987 MW
- Walmart: 689 MW
- Microsoft: 551 MW
- Goal: 515 MW
- Cargill: 342 MW
- Kaiser Permanente: 303 MW
- Anheuser-Busch: 301 MW
- Evraz North America: 300 MW
1. Meta Platforms Inc.
Headquarters: Menlo Park, CA
Meta is the trailblazing company supporter of the photo voltaic world. Till June 2022, the corporate has put in greater than 3,588 MW – or roughly 3.59 GW – of solar energy. That is greater than thrice extra photo voltaic than the subsequent closest firm, Amazon.
In the event you’re not acquainted, Meta is the corporate previously generally known as Fb, Inc. The multinational expertise firm owns lots of your favourite cellphone apps, reminiscent of Fb, Instagram and WhatsApp, together with many different services and products.
2. Amazon
Headquarters: Seattle, WA
Trailing greater than 2,400 megawatts behind Meta, Jeff Bezos’ Amazon empire took No. 2 place by way of photo voltaic set up. Rooftop photo voltaic is a part of Amazon’s Local weather Pledge plan to grow to be carbon impartial by 2040.
Together with photo voltaic, Amazon has the objective of buying 100,000 electrical supply vans and plans for 80% of its power use from renewable sources in 5 years and transferring to internet zero emissions by 2030.3
3. Apples
Headquarters: Cupertino, CA
The 2-time former photo voltaic champion fell within the rankings this yr because of greater pushes by Amazon and Meta, however Apple nonetheless has a seat within the high three company photo voltaic adopters for 2022 with 987 MW put in .
We anticipate Apple to bounce again within the coming years, although. Earlier this yr, 213 of the corporate’s main manufacturing companions pledged to energy all of Apple’s manufacturing with renewable electrical energy in 25 nations. Like Amazon, Apple additionally has a objective of turning into carbon impartial by 2030.4
4. Walmart
Headquarters: Bentonville, AR
At 689 MW, retail megachain Walmart produces probably the most energy of any non-tech firm. In 2019, Walmart truly elevated its photo voltaic use by 35% – greater than every other firm within the US.
Apart from photo voltaic, Walmart can be an enormous investor in wind power, buying probably the most wind energy of any US firm in 2019. The massive field retailer additionally has a objective of being 100% renewable. -o power by 2035.5
5. Microsoft
Headquarters: Redmond, WA
Microsoft lacks photo voltaic adoption in comparison with its massive competitor Apple, however 551 MW is sufficient to put it in fifth place.
The tech firm introduced a partnership with Volt Vitality in 2021 in an effort to realize its objective of 100% renewable power by 2025.6 Microsoft’s campus in Silicon Valley has a big photo voltaic set up, which permits the corporate to avoid wasting greater than $100,000 per yr in electrical energy prices.7
6. Goal
Headquarters: Minneapolis, MN
Simply behind Microsoft with 515 MW of photo voltaic put in is one other massive retailer: Goal.
By 2020, Goal has achieved its objective of including rooftop photo voltaic panels to 500 places inside 5 years. The retailer can be greater than 1 / 4 of the best way in the direction of its objective of getting 100% of its electrical energy from renewable sources by 2030.8
7. Cargill
Headquarters: Wayzata, MN
That is in all probability the primary firm on the listing that you just will not acknowledge instantly. Agricultural big Cargill, Included is a privately held American world meals company that brings meals, agricultural, monetary and industrial merchandise to the individuals who want them world wide.
Cargill put in 342 MW of photo voltaic in June 2022, serving to advance its objective of lowering 10% of greenhouse gasoline emissions by 2025.9
8. Kaiser Permanente
Headquarters: Oakland, CA
Healthcare big Kaiser Permanente put in a large 2.3 MW photo voltaic panel array at its Sacramento facility in 2020, the biggest of the corporate’s 41 photo voltaic initiatives. By mid-2022, Kaiser Permanente will now have 303 MW of photo voltaic capability put in.
Along with putting in photo voltaic panels, Kaiser Permanente has taken different steps towards supporting photo voltaic power, reminiscent of awarding a $150,000 grant to GRID Options.10
9. Anheuser-Busch
Headquarters: St. Louis, MO
Considered one of America’s favourite brewing firms has reached its objective of getting 100% of its bought electrical energy from renewable sources by 2025 – thanks partly to 301 MW of photo voltaic already- set up.11
Anheuser-Busch has a 222 MW photo voltaic farm in Texas, in addition to a 152 MW wind farm in Oklahoma.
10. Evraz North America
Headquarters: Chicago, IL
Trailing solely behind Kaiser Permanente and Anhuser-Busch is Evraz North America with 300 MW of photo voltaic capability put in. Evraz is a number one producer of engineered metal merchandise for the rail, power and industrial markets.
Whereas Evraz simply made the minimize for the highest 10 listing, we anticipate this firm to rise within the rankings as soon as building for its 300 MW photo voltaic farm in Colorado is full.12
High 25 Company Photo voltaic Adopters
Company Photo voltaic Adoption Continues to Develop
Business firms put in practically 19 GW of photo voltaic within the US as of June 2022, however solely half of that has been put in since 2020.
A lot of this current development will be accredited to the speedy enlargement of off-site company photo voltaic procurement, which now represents 55% of all industrial photo voltaic use. Nearly 70% of all off-site company photo voltaic has been introduced on-line within the final 2.5 years.13
With extra photo voltaic initiatives within the works and the corporate’s local weather objectives set with deadlines between 2025 and 2050, we are able to anticipate to see these numbers proceed to rise. SEIA estimates that complete industrial photo voltaic installations will double once more within the subsequent three years, with practically 27 GW of off-site initiatives with company off-takers scheduled to return on-line in 2025.14