September 13, 2007

Costco Installing Solar Panels On Warehouse In Hawaii

Costco Wholesale Corp. is installing a solar electric system on its warehouse at Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, Star Bulletin reports.Costco has struck a deal with REC Solar to install 2.5 megawatts of photovoltaics on four of Costco’s warehouse locations – two in Hawaii, including the Big Island and Kauai, and two in California, including San Luis Obispo and possibly Santa Barbara.

The Costco warehouse in Kona, which measures 156,000 square feet, is being outfitted with a 680-kilowatt solar electric system, enough to supply power to about 111 Hawaii homes.In Hawaii, commercial photovoltaics are eligible for credits of up to $500,000, and electricity bills can be offset with surplus power if businesses hooked up to the utility grid produce more than they use. The federal government offers an additional 30 percent tax credit.

In February, Costco installed its second solar-powered energy system at its Lake Elsinore, California warehouse.

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Reader Comments

Sustainability? Costco? The same Costco tthat’s petitioning the City of Fredericton , New Brunswick to let them destroy a stretch of protected environmentally sensitive wetland area, so they can build a new big box store?

A few solar panels doesn’t make up for this “wholesale” destruction.

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