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Despite current circumstances, corporations in the US are spending heavily on solar and energy storage to power their operations. On that topic, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) just released its annual Solar Means Business report.
Joe Biden’s efforts as president of the United States to create green policies will not be forgotten, as they now stand beside Jimmy Carter’s humane and strong work, and they will have powerful lasting effects for years and decades to come. I encourage you to listen to CleanTechnica’s most recent episode talking about this.
Many will miss seeing and reading the work of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who revived the long dormant infrastructure week. (See: Finally, Infrastructure Week Isn’t a Joke)
I agree with Jennifer Sensiba’s point of view: Transportation Secretary Pete actually understands public policy, which shouldn’t be unusual.
Back to SEIA’s new Solar Means Business report….
Meta is the most prominent corporate solar user, with close to 5.2 gigawatts (GW) of capacity installed, while Google is the most significant energy storage user, with 936 megawatt-hours of installed battery capacity.
Meta, Google, and Amazon added the most solar to their electricity portfolios through the first quarter of 2024, plus have the most significant streams for further solar procurements under contract. Major manufacturers, including General Motors, Toyota, and U.S. Steel, are all in the top ten for new solar contracts.
Through the first quarter of 2024, US corporations have built almost 40 gigawatts (GW) of onsite and off-site solar capacity. Corporate storage consumption exceeds 1.8 gigawatt-hours (GWh), with over 3 GWh of contractual battery storage likely to come online over the next five years.
“Some of the largest industrial and data operations in the world continue turning to solar and storage as a reliable, low-cost way to power their operations,” said SEIA president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper. “These industry giants are investing in solar through a diverse range of applications, including onsite and off-site installations, on carports, paired with storage, or even as an anchor tenant for a community solar project.”
“Adding new solar energy to the grid is a critical aspect of our approach to ensuring our data centers are supported by clean and renewable energy,” said Carolyn Campbell, Head of Clean and Renewable Energy, East, at Meta. “We’re thrilled to rank number one for corporate solar procurement in SEIA’s report this year, and we continue to find ways to grow the grid to benefit everyone and support our goal of matching our global operations with 100% clean and renewable energy.”
“We began our solar program more than 20 years ago,” said Erin Tyler, Vice President of Property Management at Target Corporation. “Target’s long-term investments in clean energy continue to drive value for our guests, communities, and shareholders. Through our commitment to solar, we’re well on our way to achieving our corporate goal of sourcing 100% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030.”
“At Digital Realty, we’re committed to delivering sustainable solutions that drive value for our customers and communities alike,” said Aaron Binkley, Vice President of Sustainability at Digital Realty. “Being recognized in SEIA’s Solar Means Business report is a testament to the hard work of our teams as we continue to source high-quality renewables and expand our 100% renewable energy commitment across our global portfolio. We’re proud to be part of building a cleaner, more sustainable future.”
As electricity demand rises to keep up with data center expansion, technology industries have become the leading industry in terms of solar investment. Amazon has a national record 13.6 GW of solar procurements under contract, while Meta and Google both have about 6 GW. These pipelines are more than ten times larger than the next firm on the list.
For the 9th year in a row, Target remains the nation’s biggest onsite corporate solar user. Prologis, Walmart, Amazon, and Blackstone are also among the top five corporations offering onsite solar installations.
Along with big shops like Target, Walmart, Home Depot, and Kohl’s, the top 10 corporations using storage to meet more of their power needs in real-time include Google, Apple, and Meta. Offsite and onsite energy storage will be an essential development in business renewable energy integration in the upcoming years. To increase their resilience to power outages, medical leaders such as Kaiser Permanente are also using batteries to power microgrids at their medical facilities.
2024 Corporate Solar Rankings
Read the full report and see where America’s top brands rank among the biggest users of solar and energy storage.
Based on the findings, most enterprises surveyed cited the Inflation Reduction Act’s long-term clean energy incentives as a primary rationale for increasing their renewable energy acquisition. Companies identified interconnection reforms, new community solar legislation, and simplified tax credit monetization as policy areas that would boost their solar and storage investments.
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