Wal-Mart, yes Wal-Mart, is installing solar panels in California, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. It has also announced plans to mount panels another 20 to 30 locations in California and Arizona. The panels will be sourced from MiaSolé and First Solar, both American companies. Wal-Mart will take advantage of their newer, more practical and cost-efficient type of panel called thin-film solar panels. This newer type is an alternative to the more pricey and bulky silicon panels with no significant comprise in terms of energy absorption. Besides being much cheaper, the thin-film panels work better in fog and smog and don’t interfere with skylights. Due to their thin and light nature, they are also much easier to handle and install. Like everything, this new technology is not perfect. Cold temperatures can affect the mixture and make it much less effective. Scientists are working are currently working on this problem.
Now, as it was explained latter in the article, Wal-Mart is most likely just doing this to save face. In a forum that I attended headed by Tyson Slocum, an alternative energy expert, he stated Wal-Mart is one of the biggest polluters if not the biggest polluter in the world because of the massive amounts of goods it sells, which are mostly made in China and then shipped half-way-around-the-world to the United States. Clearly by adding some solar panels on roofs of maybe 50 or so of its over 8,000 stores will not a save even the most stubborn bush from Wal-Mart’s eco-slaughter.
On the positive, I must acknowledge Wal-Marts’s effort. If Wal-Mart, IF WAL-MART, is going green, then maybe all of us should. Maybe all of us are behind. Wal-Mart’s initiative will also help the newly expanding thin-film solar panel sector.
http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/walmart-to-install-thin-film-solar-panels/
While reading this, I just had to laugh at how Wal-Mart is now contributing to alternative energy. They are growing so rapidly that it makes people question "what doesn't Wal-Mart do?" I would not be surprised though that they are just participating in green energy just to get a good reputation, but the more involvement in alternative energy leads to greater innovations. Therefore I support Wal-Mart's decision. After all expanding your company to help the earth is not such a bad thing.
ReplyDeleteI am excited for this. Because Wal-Mart is such a big company, any contribution they make will help tremendously to save the environment. I read an article about this and it stated that because they are such a giant company they can do it while still gaining profits, so good for them. the article also said that they are putting solar panels on top of their light poles in the parking lots, which is a creative idea that can be appreciated.
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