Staples Invests In Large Solar Rooftop Installment

There are a variety of ways in which to equip the world with solar power and one such way is using roofs. The Staples company has recently decided to turn the roof of one of their fulfillment centers into a solar harnessing site. An agreement with SunEdison is expected to save the company money and reduce emissions.

A Staples fulfillment center in Hanover, Maryland is now the largest rooftop solar power installment in the state of Maryland. The fulfillment center itself is 200,200 square feet and the solar installation is approximately 175,000 square feet. The solar installation is covering an area greater than three football fields.

Due to the immense size of the installment, it is able to provide 1.01 megawatts of power. Such a large system is equivalent to the power needed for 100 homes each year. The system itself will harness 1.2 million kilowatt hours of electricity each year. Currently, the estimate is for 21 kilowatt hours to be generated over the next twenty years.

Overall, the installment is expected to save 43 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions from entering the atmosphere for twenty years. Such a savings would be equivalent to removing 4,200 vehicles from the road during the same twenty years.

The Environment Protection Agency has praised the solar project. EPA’s mid-Atlantic region administrator, Shawn M. Garvin, stated: “EPA applauds Staples for initiating this solar energy project to power its Hanover facility. I hope this work inspires other companies to use energy in a manner that does not contribute to global climate change. Staples is demonstrating the kind of leadership that is needed to reduce greenhouse gases and move our nation into a clean energy future.”