With more than 5,000 locations in the US and 10,000 globally, Walmart’s unparalleled size comes with equally stark energy consumption. Forbes estimated, in 2015, that Walmart’s electric bill is around $1 billion per year for a total of 29,000 gigawatt-hours per year globally.

Thankfully, Walmart has taken steps to meet their energy demand with the inexhaustible, virtually pollution-free, and safe power of clean energy.

What are Walmart’s clean energy commitments?

In January 2024, Walmart adopted specific targets to complete 10 gigawatts of new clean energy projects by the end of 2030. These plans include adding one gigawatt of new clean energy on-site, primarily through solar and storage, along with two gigawatts of community solar.

While other companies have expressed commitments to the clean energy transition–including competitors like Target and Amazon–Walmart is trying to distinguish itself with the speed, transparency, and scale of its efforts. Just two months after detailing their plan, Walmart committed to investing in new clean energy projects totaling nearly 1 GW, the equivalent of the annual power consumption of more than 200,000 average households.

Why rooftop solar?

With more than 780 million combined square feet of rooftop space that could accommodate solar, Walmart is the American retailer with the most rooftop solar potential. These flat, open, and sunny roofs could provide electricity close to where it can be used–reducing energy losses that happen during electricity transmission and distribution. In 2020, these transmission losses made up 6% of gross electricity generation. Especially when coupled with battery storage, producing electricity on-site also has the benefit of making the grid more resilient to outages and disruptions.

Where Walmart has installed solar on its roofs, it has worked. The retailer’s existing solar installations have already saved the company over $1 million, and its installations in California were expected to provide between 20% to 30% of each location’s electricity needs.

From Apple to Exxon, firms are making big decisions about how to invest in clean energy. Walmart is showing promise–but there is still a lot of work to do to meet its stark energy needs with renewables. Rooftop solar offers a readily available, cost-effective, and convenient way for the retail giant to immediately deploy clean energy.