Walmart purchases wind to power stores in Texas
 Wind is invisible, yet it can have powerful effects on our world – particularly when harnessed as energy. As part of Walmart’s goal to use 100 percent renewable energy, we have announced our first substantial purchase of this clean fuel, which will provide up to 15 percent of the total energy for more than 350 of our Texas locations.
The energy comes from Duke Energy wind farm in Notrees, Texas. We expect that it will begin producing electricity for us by April of 2009, at the rate of roughly 226 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) each year. That’s the energy equivalent of washing 108 million loads of laundry -- enough for every household in Austin, Texas, to wash their clothes for a year. Saving money and living better through renewable energyUsing this clean form of energy helps us fulfill both parts of our promise to help customers save money and live better. It has reduced our carbon emissions by 139,000 metric tons per year, which is equal to the amount of greenhouse gases that 25,000 cars or 18,000 homes release each year. Moreover, we’re purchasing renewable power at traditional energy rates, thus ensuring we can save our customers money while making our world a better place to live, now and for future generations. Another example of our sustainability commitment comes to lifePurchasing wind is another step in our journey to become a more sustainable company, complementing the solar power project we announced in May 2007. We installed 35 solar projects in ARizona, California and Puerto Rico. Eight of the solar projects installed in FY11 utilized thin-film solar, which created manufacturing jobs and accelerated this new technology's entry to market.
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