Technology giants are leading the charge towards a sustainable future as Company America commits significant investments in clean energy, topping the charts with impressive solar power adoption rates among their customer base.
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association’s (SEIA’s) latest “Solar Market Edge” report, Meta, Google, and Amazon are among the main drivers of photo voltaic and battery storage adoption.
As the leader in corporate solar adoption, Meta boasts an impressive 5.2 gigawatts of installed solar capacity, solidifying its position as the largest consumer of renewable energy among American companies. Meanwhile, Google has taken a leading role in energy storage, with a whopping 936 megawatt-hours (MWh) of installed battery capacity to its name. As of early 2024, major companies have significantly expanded their renewable energy capabilities, with leading players such as General Motors, Toyota, and U.S. Steel making notable strides in this area.
According to the latest report, American corporations have successfully integrated nearly 40 gigawatts of on-site and off-site photovoltaic capacity by the end of Q1 2024. Additionally, energy storage utilization has surpassed a significant milestone of 1.8 gigawatt-hours (GWh), demonstrating a substantial shift towards sustainable practices in the industry. Significant strides are being made: Companies have secured contracts for over 3 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of battery storage, with nearly half expected to come online within the next five years.
“A growing number of the world’s largest industrial and knowledge-based operations are transitioning to solar power and storage as a reliable, cost-effective way to fuel their operations,” said SEIA President and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper.
As expertise corporations pioneer the transition, burgeoning electricity demand fueled by accelerating knowledge growth propels their forward momentum. With Amazon at the forefront, boasting an impressive 13.6 gigawatts of solar procurement commitments in the US, followed closely by Meta and Google, each with nearly 6 gigawatts in pipeline, their combined capacity is a staggering ten times larger than that of the next firm on the rankings.
For the ninth consecutive year, Goal has emerged as the United States’ leading on-site solar energy consumer, while Prologis, Walmart, Amazon, and Blackstone also feature in the top five. For the first time, a “Solar Means Business” report is tracking corporate battery energy storage, revealing that top companies like Google, Apple, Meta, Goal, Walmart, Home Depot, and Kohl’s are among the top 10 organizations utilizing storage to meet more of their energy needs in real-time.
Looking ahead, both off-site and on-site energy storage solutions are poised to assume a significantly more prominent role in corporate renewable energy strategies. Medical corporations such as Kaiser Permanente are leveraging batteries to power microgrids, thereby enhancing the resilience of their services in the face of outages.
As Meta’s head of sustainable energy, Carolyn Campbell emphasized the importance of scaling up solar capacity to align with the company’s global operations powered by 100% renewable energy: “We’re delighted to top SEIA’s corporate solar procurement rankings this year and will continue to innovate the grid for everyone’s benefit.”
As Goal’s vice chairman of property administration, Erin Tyler highlighted the company’s 20-year-old commitment to solar power, stating that “Through our steadfast dedication to solar energy, we’re firmly on track to achieve our ambitious goal of sourcing 100% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030.”
The “Photovoltaic Means Business” report also examines the policies driving Company America’s adoption of photovoltaics. Corporations are capitalizing on the lucrative long-term clean energy incentives introduced by the Inflation Reduction Act. Companies urge accelerated progress on renewable energy investments by streamlining interconnection procedures, promoting innovative solar policies at the local level, and simplifying tax credit monetization to fuel further growth.
The largest solar farm in Wisconsin has officially gone live, generating 100 megawatts of clean energy.
