Wal-Mart has delayed its response to bids for its solar-power initiative, CNET reports.
At the end of last year, the company put out a RFP to solar electric suppliers soliciting bids on what could amount to a solar installation on the order of 100 megawatts of power over the next five years. Responses to bids, initially expected at the end of February, are being delayed, according to the story.
One company bidding on the deal said Wal-Mart’s decision has been put off four to six weeks.
There have been many announcements recently concerning solar installations at retail companies. Costco has installed its second solar-powered energy system at its Lake Elsinore, California warehouse. Staples recently unveiled the largest solar power installation in New England at its 300,000-square-foot retail distribution center in Killingly, Connecticut. Tesco, the fourth-largest retail chain in the world, is installing a $13 million solar roof on its five-building, 820,400-square-foot distribution center under construction in Riverside, California. Wal-Mart is already using solar power in its experimental stores, but nothing close to the scale addressed in its RFP.