Best Buy opens solar sites at store, distribution center — here’s where
Best Buy Co. Inc. continues making strides toward its goal of carbon neutrality.
The consumer electronics giant is now operational with solar projects at a store location in New York and a distribution center in California. Best Buy says the sites will provide renewable, clean energy for the stores’ local communities and help reduce its carbon footprint.
Here’s a closer look at the retailer’s two new solar projects:
Best Buy solar garden (Long Island City, N.Y.)
The Best Buy Long Island City store is the retailer’s first brick-and-mortar to host a rooftop community solar garden. As the host site, the solar panels generate approximately 461,800 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity each year intended to bring clean energy to the local community.
The rooftop solar system is sized at 371.8 kilowatts (kW-DC) and will produce enough energy to power approximately 44 homes and businesses annually. The energy generated by the system will be sent to the local grid and then allocated to subscribers through a third party-managed community solar program.
Best Buy solar field (Dinuba, Calif.)
The new solar field at Best Buy’s distribution center in Dinuba, Calif. generates approximately 5.87 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity each year. This solar field will power the equivalent of 559 homes. The energy generated by the system will help run the distribution center, reducing the retailer’s energy usage.
Since 2009, Best Buy has been working toward achieving a goal of net zero emissions by 2040. In 2020 the retailer signed The Climate Pledge, a commitment co-founded by Amazon and non-profit Global Optimism to become carbon-neutral across its operations by 2040 — a decade faster than its previous goal of 2050.
[READ MORE: Best Buy unveils new solar field in California]
“These new solar projects are just another way we are investing in the future for our employees and the communities we serve,” said Tim Dunn, Best Buy head of environmental sustainability. “We already cut carbon emissions in our operations by 74% since 2009 and are excited to keep making strides toward reducing our carbon emissions across our operations.”
The new solar sites are joining existing Best Buy solar projects in South Carolina, Michigan, California and Texas.
Minneapolis-based Best Buy Co. Inc. operates more than 1,000 stores in North America.
