California Kohl's store turns on giant rooftop solar system

The Laguna Niguel Kohl's location certainly isn't the first notable venue in California to benefit from a large solar panel installation, but this particular setup is being dubbed the "largest planned US photovoltaic solar rollout to date." Reportedly, Kohl's Department Stores is planning on equipping 63 of its 80 California locations with solar electric systems, which should total "approximately 25 megawatts," and upon completion, the program would "represent approximately 15-percent of California's photovoltaic installations to date." Granted, the US Tesco building's solar roof may still hold the crown (at least for now) for "world's largest," but Kohl's is hoping to impress by "generating more than 35-million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of renewable energy annually" when its massive rollout is complete.

[RedBull Runner @ Sep 27th 2007 6:25AM]

"California Kohl's store turns on giant rooftop solar system but suddenly catches fire due to a small wiring problem. Millions of dollars of crappy clothing is thankfully destroyed"

[PEZ @ Sep 27th 2007 7:42AM]

To bad you are an idiot.

[thejedipunk @ Sep 27th 2007 12:40PM]

No, he's right. I worked for the Irvine Kohl's for nearly 3 years and there's miles and miles of terrible clothes. There were only a few items that didn't suck.

[prokanda @ Sep 27th 2007 6:28AM]

hrm... a company trying to do what it can to be somewhat environmentally responsible? interesting. now if we could just get the bible thumpers at chik-fil-a to stay open on sundays and get walmart to be more careful with it's late night stocking rituals.... we'd be set.

[Jennie @ Sep 27th 2007 11:01AM]

I'm no bible-thumper, but I'm glad Chik-Fil-a is closed on sundays. Isn't it good that at least one tiny cog in the American Money Machine takes a weekly break? We're so driven -- Work! Work! Work! I admire a company that shuts down for one day of rest, for worship, for soccer practice, for weeding their gardens, going to the opera, whatever! Just Take a break!

And To Kohl's: THANK YOU!!!! May all the malls/shops take your cue and do the same!!!!!

[Cameron @ Sep 27th 2007 6:54AM]

Ok... this is great, this is awesome, more company's should do this.


What percentage of the individual stores power needs will be met via the solar power.

Because (and again: this is great, this is awesome, more company's should do this) if they're covering a TINY percentage of their needs and reaping HUGE PR points it kinda sucks.

[zoara @ Sep 27th 2007 7:07AM]

As the article says, "Kohl's use of solar power will generate more than 35 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of renewable energy annually, the equivalent of powering an estimated 3,087 California homes."

So yeah, unless a Kohl's store uses the equivalnet electricity to several thousand houses, they're generating a heck of a lot more than "a TINY percentage of their needs".

[scorp508 @ Sep 27th 2007 7:52AM]

3,087 CA homes / 63 Kohls stores = 49 CA Homes per Kohls store. It isn't out of the realm of reality that this is accurate. The massive heating/cooling/lighting of each store could be equivalent to 49 homes.

[Kenban @ Sep 27th 2007 9:31AM]

There are two advances that need to occur with solar cells. First the cost has to come down more. When cells become cheap enough that a store can save enough money to have paid for the install within a 5 year period you will see big box stores across the country do this. I could see a point in the future where a major chain agrees to install solar cells on every (or at least most) of the chains stores.

The second is durable cells which totally replace traditional roofing materials on a home. If home builders can start building the entire roof out of solar cells and this is combined with a price drop that makes it so that the difference between a solar roof and a traditional roof can be paid off in 5 to 10 years a lot of home builders, and owners would be willing to replace their homes roof with a solar roof.

[steve @ Sep 27th 2007 4:27PM]

yeah, but a large installation like this can only help the economy of scale of solar panel systems.

[Mike @ Sep 27th 2007 9:40AM]

Way to go Kohls. It's refreshing to see a company investing in massive technological things like this. Hopefully as Solar Power becomes more affordable, other companies can do this too. I know I'd outfit my house in solar panels if it wouldn't cost $30k or so.

[NHAnimator @ Sep 27th 2007 9:45AM]

"California Kohl's store turns on giant rooftop solar system"

I thought the story was going to talk about how shoppers would be able to look upwards to see our solar system being projected on the ceiling.

Silly reader. A rooftop and a ceiling are two different things.

Guess I won't be buying that Kupier belt after all.

[Xzavier @ Sep 27th 2007 10:46AM]

Their plan sounds... Electrifying!

[John @ Sep 27th 2007 12:57PM]

good for them

[J @ Sep 27th 2007 1:20PM]

25 MW sounds a bit optomistic. that's a small/medium sized power plant...

[Chris @ Sep 27th 2007 2:02PM]

Their 25MW solar array averages 4MW.

[tekdroid @ Sep 27th 2007 10:10PM]

http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/partners/top25.htm

I liked the list of their top 25.