U.S. businesses are increasingly turning to solar energy as a cost-effective means of powering their operations. As of 2018, Apple leads the nation with the most solar capacity installed, followed closely by Amazon, Target, Walmart and Switch...
SEIA’s seventh annual Solar Means Business Report follows solar adoption by businesses across the U.S., ranging from some of the country’s largest and most recognizable brands to the small businesses that make up our communities. For the first time, the 2018 report captures large off-site installations, as well as data on solar systems located at the site of the businesses themselves. Both installation types have grown considerably in recent years.
Through 2018, this report tracks more than 7,000 megawatts (MW) of installed solar capacity across 35,000 projects in 43 states, representing more than 70% of all commercial solar capacity installed in the U.S.
Top 10 Rankings
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Installed Capacity (MW)
1.
Apple
393.3
2.
Amazon
329.8
3.
Target
242.4
4.
Walmart
208.9
5.
Switch
179.0
Installed Capacity (MW)
6.
Google
142.9
7.
Kaiser Permanente
140.0
8.
Prologis
126.3
9.
Solvay
81.4
10.
Fifth Third Bank
80.0
Solar: Powering America’s Top Brands
As the solar options available to U.S. businesses have expanded, so too has the number of companies choosing solar as their preferred energy source. From rooftop systems for local hardware stores, to solar parking canopies supporting a corporate headquarters, to large solar installations powering data centers, the solar installations are as diverse and varied as the companies themselves.
The map below shows every commercial solar installation tracked in this report, with the size of each bubble corresponding with the system’s size.
Use the filters and toggles to interact with the data and learn more about how successful U.S. businesses are progressing towards a solar future.
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Solar Goes Corporate
Looking to dive into the world of commercial solar? Register for SEIA’s Solar Goes Corporate: Where Clean Energy Buyers and Providers Converge in Washington, D.C. on November 7, 2019.
SEIA Members have access to the full Solar Means Business dataset, including detailed project-level information.
Commercial Businesses Turn to Solar
Companies turn to solar for many reasons: to power their operations, to meet environmental goals or simply to save money. No matter the reason, going solar is simply a smart business decision. The companies below have gone all in on solar, installing more capacity than any of their peers. Whether it’s to support cloud computing, to power retail centers, or to manufacture products, these companies are using solar to move their operations forward.
But not every company in the list below started out on top. Use the interactive charts below to see how many of the leading corporate brands in America have increased their investment in solar energy over time.
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Growing U.S. Commercial Solar Installations
After mixed growth in the early part of this decade, corporate solar adoption has surged over the past several years, with more than half of all capacity installed since 2016. Over that time period, Amazon leads all corporates with 329.8 MW installed, followed by Apple at 303 MW. Falling prices and more flexible financing and procurement options have led to rapid growth in off-site corporate solar adoption, which made up more than a third of all commercial solar activity in 2018. Today, the 7,000 MW of commercial solar installations generate 10.7 million MWh of electricity annually, enough to power 1.4 million homes.
Annual Installed Corporate Capacity (MW)
Learn More About the Top Corporate Solar Users
Apple
Total Solar Capacity: 393.3 MWRanking: #1
Apple Park - Cupertino, California
In 2018, Apple announced that their global operations were now powered by 100% renewable energy sources. The company's data centers have been powered by renewable sources since 2014, and since 2011, all of Apple's renewable energy projects have reduced greenhouse gas emissions (CO2e) by 54 percent from its facilities worldwide and prevented nearly 2.1 million metric tons of CO2e from entering the atmosphere. Apple Park, Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, is the largest LEED Platinum-certified office building in North America. It is powered by 100 percent renewable energy from multiple sources, including a 17-megawatt onsite rooftop solar installation and four megawatts of biogas fuel cells, and controlled by a microgrid with battery storage.
“We’re going to keep pushing the boundaries of what is possible with the materials in our products, the way we recycle them, our facilities and our work with suppliers to establish new creative and forward-looking sources of renewable energy because we know the future depends on it.”
Amazon has a long history of commitment to sustainability through innovative programs such as Shipment Zero, Frustration Free Packaging, Ship in Own Container, our network of solar and wind farms, solar on our fulfillment center rooftops, investments in the circular economy with the Closed Loop Fund, and numerous other initiatives happening every day by teams across Amazon. And we are on a path to becoming the most sustainable retailer and cloud provider in the world.
“Playing a significant role in helping to reduce the sources of human-induced climate change is an important commitment for Amazon.”
Target recently announced our commitment to achieve 100% renewable electricity for our domestic operations by 2030, with an interim goal of 60% by 2025. And today, we’re proud to say we source 22% of our electricity from renewable sources. Further, we are close to achieving our goal to complete 500 onsite solar installations by 2020, and look forward to celebrating the achievement of that significant milestone. Last year, our 2018 installations included Target’s largest solar projects to date: two of our distribution centers in California. The combined total of those projects is 4.5 MW of solar. Target’s commitment to our solar program has also driven momentum for the team to explore and pursue different avenues of renewable development for our company. We strive to be good stewards of the environment and communities in which we operate on a daily basis. We are proud of the contributions that our onsite and offsite solar efforts are making to the broader clean energy economy, and we will continue to seek out new opportunities that not only contribute further to our goals, but also help drive important cost savings for our company.
“Target is committed to sustainable operations and creating a healthier environment for our team members and guests with renewable energy.”
Walmart recently outlined its progress towards its aspirational goal of being powered by 100 percent renewable energy – and to power 50 percent of its operations with renewable energy by the end of 2025. Renewable sources supply an estimated 28 percent of Walmart’s electricity needs globally; this includes generation from more than 520 projects across eight countries, 18 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Based on Walmart’s pipeline of solar and other renewable energy projects, the retailer expects to source 35 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2020. Over the past year, Walmart completed contracts for 136 new renewable energy projects, which will supply the company an additional estimated 2.14 billion kilowatt hours of renewable energy annually – the equivalent electricity usage of over 260,000 homes in a year.
“Over the past year, Walmart completed contracts for 136 new renewable energy projects, which will supply the company an additional estimated 2.14 billion kilowatt hours of renewable energy annually.”
Since January 1, 2016, Switch data centers run on 100% renewable energy. Guided by the vision of Founder and CEO Rob Roy, Switch continues to work on ensuring the sustainable growth of the Internet. This effort has been recognized by Greenpeace in its latest Clicking Clean Report where Switch scores all A grades, the highest rating for any class of company – and is the definitive leader among colocation operators. Switch was one of two primary supporters for a ballot initiative in the state of Nevada to create a well-regulated open-energy market. This ballot was successfully passed with 73% of the vote – making it the most successful ballot in Nevada’s history. The result of this initiative extends not only to businesses who operate in Nevada, but also to the residents of the state.
Prologis’ environmental, social and governance (ESG) program is good business— benefiting our customers, investors, communities and employees. Good ESG practices support our corporate commitment to enduring excellence and advance our longstanding focus on exemplary customer service. Importantly, environmental stewardship at Prologis delivers business value to our customers and minimizes our impact on the environment based on how we locate, construct and operate our logistics real estate properties. Because sustainability is increasingly central to our customers’ brands and business models, our sustainable buildings give us an edge in attracting and retaining top companies. For example, building more energy-efficient facilities helps meet growing customer needs for electricity to power innovative supply chain automation and robotics technologies. Further, building facilities in locations close to end consumers reduces transportation distances. As the global leader in logistics real estate, Prologis has long been ahead when it comes to placing solar-generating arrays on our rooftops. In 2018, Prologis added 11 megawatts (MW) of solar, bringing the total to 186 MW of generating capacity in nine countries. Together, these installations produce enough emissions-free energy to power approximately 27,500 average U.S. homes each year.
“Prologis was among the first in the logistics real estate industry to invest in solar, and our future-focused approach to environmental, social and governance practices has put us on pace to surpass our goal of 200 MW of solar capacity by 2020.”
Since the inception of our solar program in 2012, we have developed 66 solar projects at 51 properties with a total installed capacity of 63.4 megawatts (MW). Solar production from these systems is anticipated to create 83.2 million kWh of renewable electricity annually or more than 25% of the common area grid consumption of our shopping centers. As part of our solar program we installed 2MW of solar arrays at Altamonte Mall, FL, in 2016. Altamonte is a prime example of Brookfield’s strategy, integrating solar installations as part of a wider energy efficiency scheme at the property. This has resulted in significant reductions in grid purchased electricity. In 2014 the property consumed 3,770,688 kWh of grid electricity. At the end of 2018 our solar production exceeded the property’s energy needs by 400,000 kWh. Altamonte is the absolute definition of a net+ zero building.
“We are proud to participate in the Solar Energy industry’s advancements. It has allowed us to make significant strides in our use of carbon-free electricity across our assets within the USA. Solar production supports our ambitious sustainability goals, embraces our culture to ‘Do the Right Thing’ and provides a financial benefit to our portfolio through reduced utility costs.”
Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s stores, as well as other Macy’s, Inc. facilities, have been updated over the past decade in order to meet our sustainability goals. We aim to reduce energy consumption, install more renewable energy sources, improve resource management, and increase the use of sustainable building materials for future construction projects.
Hartz began its development of solar projects in 2009 with a 412KW array atop the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, New Jersey. Its entry into the solar business came as a result of an increased focus on sustainability throughout its real estate portfolio and their 20 million square feet of flat industrial warehouse roofs in New Jersey. The incentives offered by the state of New Jersey coupled with the favorable federal tax treatment for solar development made it an easy decision for Hartz to invest in solar projects. Rather than leasing their roofs to another developer, Hartz decided that it will develop, own and manage all of the arrays within its portfolio. Over the course of the last decade, it has grown its solar portfolio to 34.3MW and it continues to develop additional projects as opportunities arise.
“With 20 million square feet of flat industrial warehouse roofs in our New Jersey real estate portfolio and the incentives made available by the state of New Jersey for solar, our decision to make a significant investment in the development of solar projects was an easy one. We continue to build out our portfolio as opportunities arise.”
ALDI cares about advancing efficiency and reducing environmental impact among its facilities nationwide. In 2018 alone, our solar production prevented the release of CO2 emissions equal to those created by an average car driving across the United States 12,427 times, or 15.6 million pounds of coal being burned. Our use of clean, solar energy grew to include rooftop solar systems on nine distribution centers and 99 stores. We've also expanded solar projects across thirteen states. ALDI continues to pursue projects aimed at minimizing our carbon emissions and impact on the environment. Our renewable energy portfolio continues to remain an important piece of that strategy in making long-term improvements.
“At ALDI, we’re committed to increasing efficiency across the board – and nothing is more efficient, and sustainable, than solar energy. By decreasing our carbon footprint and improving our green building standards across all of our stores, we’re investing in the energy of the future.”
As Bed Bath & Beyond celebrates their 10th Earth Day as a beneficiary of clean, solar energy, the company’s commitment to renewable energy remains strong. Solar power is good for the environment, while providing cost savings benefits as well, which allows improvements to operations that help Bed Bath & Beyond better serve their customers.
The FedEx strategy of Reduce, Replace, Revolutionize helps us serve our customers more resourcefully, be more responsible in our communities, and be better stewards of the environment. We reduce the impacts from our activities, we replace assets to ensure the right solutions are utilized in the right applications, and we revolutionize the process by adopting cutting-edge technologies and solutions like solar energy. FedEx currently has 19 U.S. facilities with on-site solar technology, with four more internationally. In fiscal year 2018, these systems generated over 19 million kWh of clean energy in the U.S. Three new facilities were built in 2018 including our FedEx Ground facility in Maui, HI. Our Maui project is our first solar-plus-storage system. The 58.7 kW system consists of 163 solar panels and utilizes 6 Tesla Powerwalls to provide 81kWh capacity of battery storage. Powerwalls are rechargeable lithium ion batteries with liquid thermal control. The system generated 74,644 kWh over the last 12 months. This is compared to the 12,000 square foot facility’s total usage of 75,636 kWh. However, not all of the generated solar electricity was consumed on site. The electricity generated is purchased from the system owner and the project developer, Maui Sunrise Harvest LLC. Like many other islands, Hawaii’s electricity generation is heavily dependent on imported petroleum resulting in high electricity prices and emissions. This installation uses Hawaii’s abundant solar resources to reduce our energy costs, emissions, and provides increased reliability should there be a disruption to the grid.
“We reduce the impacts from our activities, we replace assets to ensure the right solutions are utilized in the right applications, and we revolutionize the process by adopting cutting-edge technologies and solutions like solar energy.”
Challenge 3 of Toyota’s Environmental Challenge 2050 calls for eliminating carbon emissions from its sites by 2050. By the end of 2018, Toyota had installed over 15 MW of solar arrays at its sites in Plano, TX; Ontario, CA and San Antonio, TX. The solar installations at its sites in Plano and San Antonio are the first and second largest corporate solar installations in the state of Texas. The company is expanding its use of renewable energy as a means of reducing its carbon footprint and reliance on non-renewable energy sources.
“Toyota is implementing a strategic plan to reduce carbon emissions and have a net positive impact on the planet. One way we reduce carbon emissions is by powering our facilities with renewable energy and we have found that solar makes a good business case.”
L’Oréal’s U.S. Operations facilities have been running on 100% renewable electricity since 2016, with solar projects in 3 state states—New Jersey, Arkansas, and Kentucky—and solar arrays covering 54 miles across the United States. L’Oréal USA’s Florence facility hosts the largest commercial solar array in Kentucky, providing 1.42MW of power through 4,140 solar panels, and saving 1,324 metric tons of CO2 per year. The 686,000 sq. ft. plant, where haircare products are made for the Garnier, L’Oréal Paris, Matrix, and Redken brands, is the company’s largest manufacturing site in the U.S. and its largest worldwide by tonnage of products produced. L’Oréal USA’s North Little Rock plant houses the third largest commercial solar array and the fourth largest solar project in Arkansas. The 3,600 solar panel installation provides 1.2 MW of renewable electricity and reduces the company’s carbon emissions by 556 metric tons per year. The 450,000 sq. ft. factory has operated in the state for over four decades, and is home to cosmetics production for brands including Maybelline, L’Oréal Paris, Essie and Lancôme.
“L’Oréal is committed to using its scale for good, and we work hard to ensure that our operations have a positive impact in the communities in which they’re based.”
Over the past 10 years, Verizon has continued to evolve our sustainability program. From our first goals of improving our carbon intensity by 50%, to our first big investments in on-site solar and fuel cell projects in 2013. We have continued to expand our commitment to green energy. By 2025, Verizon will source renewable energy equivalent to 50% of our total electricity usage.
“Verizon is continuing to strengthen our commitment to sustainability. We recently announced a new goal to be carbon neutral by 2035 in our scope 1 and 2 emissions. As more than 90% of our emissions come from electricity, solar energy will be an integral part to achieving carbon neutral.”
Protecting the planet is a business imperative for MGM Resorts and it is our responsibility to find innovative ways where we can use clean energy to power our resorts, said Jim Murren, Chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International.
“Incorporating renewable energy into MGM's portfolio will fundamentally reduce MGM's environmental footprint.”
The price to install an on-site commercial solar PV system has fallen by 63% over the last decade, allowing corporate customers to increase the size of their solar PV systems and power larger shares of their operations. This has also had a meaningful impact on corporate climate goals, with commercial solar PV systems offsetting 7.5 million metric tons of CO2 annually, equivalent to taking 1.6 million cars off the road each year.
Price by System Size
Average Commercial System Size
Size Increases as Prices Decline
Exploring the Solar Means Business Rankings
It’s no coincidence that many of the leading corporate solar investors are also America’s most innovative and successful companies. But success can be measured in many ways, and the same is true for corporate solar excellence. The rankings below tease out business leaders in overall solar installed, on-site solar capacity, and total number of installations.
Overall Rankings (On-site & Offsite)
Capacity (MW)
1.
Apple
393.3
2.
Amazon
329.8
3.
Target
242.4
4.
Walmart
208.9
5.
Switch
179.0
Capacity (MW)
6.
Google
142.9
7.
Kaiser Permanente
140.0
8.
Prologis
126.3
9.
Solvay
81.4
10.
Fifth Third Bank
80.0
Rankings by Number of Installations (On-site & Offsite)
Installations
1.
Target
464
2.
Walmart
375
3.
Walgreens
230
4.
Kohl's
159
5.
Aldi
108
Installations
6.
Macy's
104
7.
Brookfield Properties
66
8.
The Home Depot
62
9.
Prologis
61
10.
Extra Space Storage
55
Overall Rankings (On-site Only)
Capacity (MW)
1.
Target
229.7
2.
Walmart
152.1
3.
Prologis
126.3
4.
Apple
85.3
5.
Amazon
69.8
Capacity (MW)
6.
Brookfield Properties
63.4
7.
IKEA
55.9
8.
Macy's
52.7
9.
Kohl's
51.4
10.
Costco Wholesale
50.8
A State Outlook on Corporate Solar
Commercial solar installation density varies across the country depending on the unique environmental, economic and regulatory characteristics of each state. The top states hit the sweet spot in all three categories, while those looking to catch up are often just a smart policy decision away from realizing the economy-wide benefits solar can bring to the business community.
Browse the map to learn more about the top commercial solar adopters in your area.
Tracked solar capacity is not inclusive of every commercial installation in a given state. See methodology in full report.
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Google
Kaiser Permanente
Solvay
Fifth Third Bank
Walgreens
Kohl's
The Home Depot
Extra Space Storage
IKEA
Costco Wholesale
