Updated by Staff

Kohls Converting Colorado Stores to Solar Power

Kohl’s Department Stores has announced plans to convert 10 of its 23 Colorado Kohl’s stores to solar power by the end of this year. Colorado will be the seventh state to have Kohl’s locations with solar panels. Kohl’s also has solar locations in California, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, Oregon and Wisconsin.

“We are very pleased to expand our solar program into Colorado and enhance our commitment to the use and support of clean, renewable energy sources,” said Ken Bonning, Kohl’s executive vice president of store planning and logistics. “Solar is an integral component of our environmental efforts and contributes toward our goal of being carbon neutral by the end of this year. We will continue to explore new opportunities to utilize solar power at our facilities nationwide.”

Solar installations are currently complete or underway at four initial Kohl’s stores throughout Colorado — Southwest Denver, Thornton, Aurora East and Arapahoe Crossing. Six additional locations are in the planning phase and will begin construction in the coming months. Each store will have more than 530 solar panels that together generate 112 kW — approximately 15 percent of the store’s energy. Once solar panels at all 10 initial Colorado stores are active, they are expected to collectively generate approximately 1.6 million kWh annually — the equivalent of powering 153 homes for a year.

To view active Kohl’s solar locations by state, visit http://www.kohlsgreenscene.com/StoreImpactMap/map.html.

Westin Westminster Hotel Installing PV System

The Westin Westminster says it plans to install a state-of-the-art solar panel system beginning next month to help provide power to the 369-room hotel. Once fully functioning, the rooftop PV system will produce 42,576 kilowatt-hours per year - the equivalent to planting more than 192 trees annually. The hotel property has applied to receive a grant from the Federal government and a solar rebate from Xcel Energy, making it the first hotel in Colorado to take advantage of these programs.

The 32 kilowatt solar system features 139 panels that are being installed by Integral Energy Systems of Golden. The solar system is projected to save the hotel more than $75,000 in averted energy costs over the next 20 years. The Westin says additional long-term environmental benefits of the PV system include:

• More than 5 percent of the hotel’s 369 guest rooms will now be powered by solar
• More than 1.91 million pounds of CO2 will be avoided over the next 30 years
• 1,291 pounds of Nitrogen Oxide emissions will be avoided over the next 30 years
• Preventing 639 tons of coal from being burned over the next 30 years
• The equivalent of planting 192 trees annually

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