Group calls for more solar on stores
Big box stores are known for what’s inside the business, but now an environmental group wants those stores to think about what’s on top of their buildings.
They say there’s a good reason for them to be more like small businesses like Old Town Bike Shop in Colorado Springs.
Owner John Crandall believes that he’s in business to make more than just a profit.
“A little bit of the reason I opened the shop was because of environmental interests,” he said.
Nearly a decade ago, he was able to install solar panels. There were challenges to overcome in the installation.
Scott Harvey was the engineer who designed the panels. He said, “We couldn’t put (them up) without guaranteeing the roof had the capacity to hold (them), (so) we went for the parking lot.”
But now combined with energy from wind power: “The electricity was 100 percent renewable,” said Crandall.
Now Crandall is taking on a new challenge by joining the efforts of a group called Environment Colorado.
Small retailers like Old Town Bike Shop have led the way in terms of putting solar panels on their roofs.
But according to environmental advocates like Environment Colorado, big box retailers like Target can really make the industry shine.
They say that Target has already committed some resources to solar but that they can – and should – be doing more.
“Using the existing rooftop space on all the nation’s biggest retailers and shopping centers would nearly triple U.S. solar capacity,” said Katie Otterbeck of Environment Colorado.
The group put out a report that says that the potential for energy from the sun in Colorado alone is enormous.
“With an annual potential solar power generation in these stores equivalent to the power consumed by 156,000 homes,” said Otterbeck.
Now environmentalists hope that big box retailers will hear their message – and act.
Target told KRDO that in addition to adding solar panels on 500 stores by 2020, they also plan to achieve energy start certification in 80 per cent of their buildings. The company has 41 stores in the state.
Meanwhile IKEA is putting solar panels on many of its stores in the state, including the one in Centennial.
