Big box, big panels

Consider the model of the big box store, large in every sense of the word — large buildings, large inventories, large-scale. Not surprisingly, then, they’re also voracious consumers of electricity, which has prompted the parent companies of chains like Wal-Mart and Target to begin taking advantage of large, roof-mounted solar panels.

On paper (and there’s no doubt that the move has generated its fair share of coverage) the move reads like an ecological, not to mention altruistic win-win. Solar power offers a clean source of electricity that’s off the often-coal-fired electrical grid and allows the store to generate between 10 and 40 per cent of its daily energy needs. But while it may make ecological sense, the program isn’t playing on corporate altruism

Tax breaks, designed to encourage renewable energy use, continue to drive large energy users like big box stores toward alternative energy sources like solar power. Now, with a December 31 deadline looming, American big box stores, whose locations extend north of the border into Canada as well, are rushing to take advantage of the savings.

As the New York Times points out, the cost per kilowatt is considerably higher than conventional sources of power — as much as five times higher than coal-generated power. And installing the required panels is itself a colossal financial undertaking, with the installation costing upwards of $4 million.

But if the savings are worth scrambling for, and the costs of installing are prohibitive, it’s only appropriate. After all, with big box stores it is, as always, go big or go home.