Home Depot purchases 100 MW of solar energy

Home Depot has announced that 100 MW of solar energy purchased from National Grid Renewables at its solar and storage project in Denton County, Texas will generate the approximate equivalent of nearly eight per cent of Home Depot's total electricity usage.

"Solar energy is the most abundant energy resource on earth," said Ron Jarvis, chief sustainability officer for Home Depot. "With this purchase, we are getting a step closer to our goal to produce or procure 100 per cent renewable electricity equivalent to the needs of our facilities. We anticipate about three-quarters of our alternative and renewable energy capacity will come from solar energy by the end of 2023."

Home Depot has pledged to produce or procure 100 per cent renewable electricity equivalent to the electricity needs for all Home Depot facilities by 2030, expanding the company's previous commitment to produce or procure 335 megawatts of renewable or alternative energy by 2025.

Since 2010, Home Depot says it has reduced electricity consumption in its U.S. stores by 50 per cent. It currently operates rooftop solar farms on more than 80 stores and electricity-generating fuel cells in more than 200 stores.

Home Depot currently purchases solar power from a 75 MW facility and is under contract for another 50 MW of solar capacity. The company also purchases energy from a 50 MW wind facility and expects the combined annual renewable energy generation from these agreements would be enough to power more than 500 stores.

The solar farm in Denton County is National Grid Renewables' largest solar energy project to date, and its first utility-scale energy storage project.