Solar Roofs Give Stores Moment in Sun

Increasingly, US chains turning to solar power as a way to reduce costs
By Jim O'Neill,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 11, 2008 10:19 AM CDT
Solar Roofs Give Stores Moment in Sun
Solar panel installation at Google's Mountain View, Calif. headquarters.   (AP Photo)

Some of the largest US retail chains have begun to embrace solar power as a way to reduce energy costs and to wrangle some cred among green-conscious shoppers, reports the New York Times. Kohl’s, Macy’s, Safeway, and Whole Foods are among chains rushing to install test panels on their vast roofs before a federal tax credit expires at the end of the year.

But experts are eagerly awaiting Wal-Mart's reaction to the small test it’s running, as success could mean roughly 23 acres of solar panels on stores nationwide. “It’s going to be the Wal-Marts of the world that will buy these things over acres and make a difference,” says one. (More clean energy stories.)

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