Albertsons announced it has activated solar rooftop power systems at three of its stores in Carlsbad, Oceanside and Alpine, California, according to a company press release.
The system is designed to produce 12 million kilowatt hours of energy over the next 20 years, enough to power more than 1,100 U.S. homes for a year. The system will offset more than 13 million pounds of carbon dioxide over that time, the equivalent of taking 1,300 cars off the road for the same period.
The system was financed and will be monitored and maintained by SunEdison, a subsidiary of MEMC Electronic Materials, which has also been working with Staples, Procter & Gamble, and Owens Corning to provide solar power systems for the roofs of their facilities. According to the announcement, the installation required no upfront capital costs by Albertsons. SunEdison is the largest solar services provider in North America. REC Solar built the installation.
Albertsons is a subsidiary of SuperValu, Inc., one of the largest operators of grocery stores in the country. SuperValu said SunEdison will purchase the energy produced to offset their demand from the grid for 20 years. The solar power plants are the first activated between the two companies, which said they are investigating future deployment opportunities in other parts of the country.