Get the latest delivered to your inbox
Privacy Policy

Now Reading

Kohl's Department Stores Activates 100th Solar Location

Retailer announces plans to expand industry-leading program into Pennsylvania

Kohl's Department Stores Activates 100th Solar Location

Retailer announces plans to expand industry-leading program into Pennsylvania

Published 09-16-10

Submitted by Kohl's Department Stores

Kohl's Department Stores (NYSE: KSS) today announced that the company reached a new milestone in its industry-leading solar program by activating the solar panels at its 100th solar location in Mays Landing, N.J. earlier this month. Kohl's also announced plans to expand its solar program into Pennsylvania. The company currently has solar panels at select stores and distribution centers in California, Wisconsin, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, Oregon and Colorado.

Solar is an integral component of the company's energy management efforts and commitment to be carbon neutral by the end of 2010. The company estimates that energy management programs have helped prevent nearly $50 million in electricity costs. Over the last four years, accounting for rate variations, proactive energy management initiatives have translated into an improvement in energy efficiency of more than 20 percent, primarily in stores.

"We are pleased to have reached this milestone within three years of activating our first solar powered location in 2007," said Ken Bonning, Kohl's executive vice president of store planning and logistics. "Our 100 solar locations, commitment to build 73 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified locations and 500 ENERGY STAR stores demonstrate our ongoing commitment to sustainability with meaningful results. We will continue to strive toward advancing environmental solutions that will lead to a cleaner, healthier environment for our communities and ensure we are doing business in a way that makes sense for our associates and customers."

Kohl's Expands Solar Program into Pennsylvania

Construction of solar arrays on the rooftops of seven Pennsylvania stores began in August and is expected to be completed by March 2011. The eight locations combined are expected to generate more than 2.3 megawatts of power annually. On average, the 1,400 panels per location will supply nearly half of each store's energy, supply enough energy to power 36 homes annually and prevent the emissions of more than 9 million pounds of carbon dioxide over 20 years.

Kohl's commitment to renewable energy has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with Green Power Leadership awards for the last three years, including 2009 Green Power Partner of the Year and 2010 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year. The company also ranks first in retail, second overall and second among Fortune 500 companies on EPA's quarterly listings of top green power purchasers.

For additional information about Kohl's environmental initiatives, including geographic listings of solar, ENERGY STAR and LEED-certified stores, visit www.kohlsgreenscene.com.

About Kohl's Department Stores
Based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., Kohl's (NYSE: KSS) is a family-focused, value-oriented specialty department store offering moderately priced, exclusive and national brand apparel, shoes, accessories, beauty and home products in an exciting shopping environment. By the end of September, Kohl's will operate 1,089 stores in 49 states with a commitment to environmental leadership. In support of the communities it serves, Kohl's has raised more than $150 million for children's initiatives nationwide through its Kohl's Cares® cause merchandise program, which operates under Kohl's Cares, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kohl's Department Stores, Inc. For a list of store locations and information, or for the added convenience of shopping online, visit www.kohls.com.

Editor’s Note: Pennsylvania Kohl's Solar Locations Currently Active or Under Construction:

  • Royersford, 989 Township Line Road, Royersford, Pa.

  • Hanover, 360 Eisenhower Drive, Hanover, Pa.

  • Mechanicsburg, 6444 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, Pa.

  • Warminster, 918 West Street Road, Warminster, Pa.

  • Granite Run, 1067 W Baltimore Pike, Media, Pa.

  • Bensalem, 2325 Street Road, Bensalem, Pa.

  • North Huntingdon, 88 Rocky Road, North Huntingdon, Pa.

Kohl's Solar Milestones, 2007-2010

September 2007: Kohl's officially launched its solar program in California with the activation of solar panels at its Laguna Niguel store. This marked the first step toward the delivery of 25 megawatts of solar energy to 63 of Kohl's 80 California stores - at that time, the largest solar rollout in U.S. history. Today, Kohl's has 121 stores in California - 62 of them with solar panels.

November 2007: Kohl's activated the more than 6,200 solar panel system atop its San Bernardino, Calif. distribution center. The system generates enough power to supply 400 homes on an annual basis. Kohl's opened a second distribution center in San Bernardino in June 2010 and plans to install solar panels on its rooftop in the future.

May 2008: Kohl's announced plans to install solar panels at more than 50 percent of its existing New Jersey, Connecticut and Maryland locations. At that time, Kohl's operated 34 stores in New Jersey, 17 in Connecticut and 16 in Maryland. With these installations, Kohl's became the largest retail host of solar power in North America.

July 2008: Kohl's announced the expansion of its solar program into Wisconsin with three new solar stores. In addition, the company's Milwaukee-based photo studio, which has nearly 800 solar panels on its rooftop, went solar in 2008 and earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification at the Gold level.

August 2008: Kohl's expanded its solar program to Oregon and announced initial plans to convert four stores to solar power.

December 2009: Kohl's announced plans to reach net zero carbon dioxide emissions by the end of 2010 and maintain carbon neutrality through 2012, becoming the first retailer to announce this commitment in partnership with EPA's Climate Leaders program.

January 2010: Kohl's achieved 100 percent green power, purchasing enough green power to meet 100 percent of its purchased electricity use with an annual green power purchase of nearly 1.4 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh). Kohl's purchases a combination of renewable energy certificates (RECs) and utility green power products in the areas of solar, wind and biomass generation.

April 2010: Kohl's expanded its solar program to Colorado and announced plans to install solar panels at 10 of its 23 Colorado stores by the end of 2010.

September 2010: Kohl's activates solar panels at 100th solar location in Mays Landing, N.J., and announces plans to expand its solar program to Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania solar project is scheduled for completion by March 2011.

Kohl's Department Stores logo

Kohl's Department Stores

Kohl's Department Stores

Based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., Kohl’s (NYSE: KSS) is a family-focused, value-oriented specialty department store offering moderately priced, exclusive and national brand apparel, shoes, accessories, beauty and home products in an exciting shopping environment. With a commitment to environmental leadership, Kohl’s operates 1,155 stores in 49 states. In support of the communities it serves, Kohl’s has raised more than $231 million for children’s initiatives nationwide through its Kohl’s Cares® cause merchandise program, which operates under Kohl's Cares, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kohl's Department Stores, Inc. For a list of store locations and information, or for the added convenience of shopping online, visit www.Kohls.com, join the discussion on Facebook (facebook.com/Kohls) or Twitter (twitter.com/Kohls) or get inspired on Pinterest (pinterest.com/Kohls) and Instagram (instagram.com/Kohls).

More from Kohl's Department Stores

Join today and get the latest delivered to your inbox