With Green Energy, Mega Retailers Enjoy Mega Savings

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The nation’s biggest retail store chains have learned that
their massive, flat roofs offer a viable way to power their stores, the
New York Times reports.

In recent months, giant retailers including Whole Foods
Market, Wal-Mart Stores, Kohl’s, and Safeway have installed solar panels to
generate electricity on a large scale. 

“It’s very clear that green energy is now front and center
in the minds of the business sector,” said Daniel M. Kammen, an energy expert
at the University of California, Berkeley.

Company officials mention as particularly important a
federal tax credit for renewable energy that Congress has let expire and then
renewed several times.  A Congressional dispute
over oil
drilling has clogged legislation that would renew the credit for next year.

So far, most chains have outfitted fewer than 10 percent of
their stores but will consider a solar construction program to outfit all
stores if Congress renews a favorable tax provision and more states offer
incentives.

The retailers, in anticipation of America’s renewable
energy boom, hope to create a bigger market and position themselves as at
the forefront of this national shift.  In addition to solar panels, the
companies are exploring other renewable energy technologies by testing wind
turbines and reflective white roofs, which keep buildings cooler in hot
weather.  “It really helps make it economical for the retailer,” said Kim
Saylors-Laster, Wal-Mart’s vice president for energy.