Commercial, Demand Management, Energy Efficiency, Energy Storage, Solar, Sourcing Renewables  -  August 2, 2017

Solar helps Target reduce energy use

In its 2016 corporate sustainability report, Target announced that it reduced energy intensity in stores by 2.32% since 2010 and achieved Energy Star certification in 76% of its buildings.

The retailer’s goal is to have 80% of its buildings achieve Energy Star certification by 2020 and based on the success of already hitting 76%, accounting for 1,409 buildings, it expects to meet that goal ahead of schedule.

The recently released report also details Target’s goal to reduce energy intensity per square foot in stores by 10% by 2020; it reduced energy intensity from a 2010 baseline of 12.11 kWh per square foot to 16.72 kWh per square foot, reflecting the 2.32% reduction. To meet its 2020 goal, Target plans to continue HVAC, lighting and refrigeration projects already under way and complete an LED lighting retrofit.

Target was named a U.S. EPA Energy Star “Partner of the Year” in 2016, one of nine industry awards the company has received for operational efficiency and sustainability from the U.S. DOE, EPA and Intelligent Buildings Conference.

In terms of renewable energy goals, Target committed to installing solar rooftop panels to 500 stores and distribution centers by 2020. In 2016 it completed 157 installations, bringing its total to 350 across facilities.  

“On average, a Target store with onsite solar uses 30 percent less energy from the local electric grid than those without,” the retailer said in its report. The company in 2016 installed more megawatts of rooftop solar than any other U.S. company, knocking out Wal-Mart Stores Inc. for the top ranking in the Solar Energy Industry Association's Solar Means Business report.

In 2016, Target also worked toward its goal of increasing its investment in offsite renewable energy by signing its first virtual power purchase agreement, completed with a 40 MW wind farm in Texas. The company estimates that the power generated by the facility provides 100% of the energy needed to power 60 Target stores in the state of Texas.

The company is also beginning its exploration into potential new battery storage technologies to use for use on Target properties.

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