A Target store in Vista, California has become one of the first stores to add solar panels to the roofs of its carports. This comes after the company added solar panels to the roof of the store itself.
The electricity generated through these solar panels will be used to warm and cool the store, through its heating system and air conditioning. The store also plans to power their refrigerators using this electricity.
Not only do these carports generate electricity for the store but they also protect the customers that are putting away their shopping into their cars from the sun and bad weather.
It has been predicted that the store will generate up to 10% more electricity than it requires, and the company plans to put this excess electricity back into the power grid. By 2030, the company aims to have 100% of its energy generated renewably, and by 2040 they hope to have reached net zero.
This isn’t the first plan the company have put into place to make their stores more sustainable as lights have been changed over to LED bulbs and electric car charging bays have been added to car parks to encourage customers to switch to EVs.
They also have future plans to help lower emissions, such as using a natural refrigerant in their refrigerators to keep products cool. They also plan to roll out a new scheme using their Target Zero icon. This icon will tell a customer which items are reusable, refillable and even compostable. The scheme is in place to encourage their customers to choose more sustainable options when they shop
Other companies such as Walmart and Home Depot are also implementing the use of solar panels to generate electricity and lower their emissions and if more companies looked to more sustainable ways to run their stores, the greenhouse gas emissions released by the retail sector will see a significant reduction.
