Solar Update: Walgreens in Colorado, Bentley in the UK, Linzer in California

Walgreens is expanding its renewable energy initiative to Colorado, hiring SolarCity to implement solar systems at 22 retail stores across 14 different cities in the state. Walgreens began implementing solar in 2007 at many of its retail stores across the country. The new rollout in Colorado brings Walgreens closer to reaching the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Better Buildings Challenge. The company has committed to reducing its energy use by 20 percent by the year 2020 across 125 million square feet of its retail floor space.

Car manufacturer Bentley has installed 20,000 solar panels on the rooftop of its factory in Crewe, UK, according to Business Green. The 5 MW system, which faces south at an angle of 20 degrees, is owned and maintained by UK solar company Lightsource. Bentley has signed a power purchase agreement with Lightsource.

Linzer Products, a manufacturer of paint tools and accessories, has installed solar power on the flat roof of its paint-brush factory in San Fernando, Calif. The 614 kW DC system includes 2,730 Mitsubishi Electric solar modules, installed by Sun Integration. The system is estimated to produce 920 MWh of electricity per year. The project is financed in part by the federal investment tax credit, and a rebate from the California Solar Initiative.