Big Box Stores Going Solar

Here's an article from the New York Times that discusses the growing number of retailers with flat roof buildings that are adding solar panels. Many are doing it now to beat the end of the tax credits for solar panels, which is due to expire December 31st (though perhaps congress will extend or create new incentives for solar power).

The article says:

American retailers are following the lead of stores in Europe, which are much further along. Store-roof projects are so numerous in parts of Germany that they can be spotted in satellite photos. Government subsidies there, however, have lasted for years.

“In Germany, there are none of the concerns you find in the United States about whether support will be around next year,” said Jenny Chase, an energy analyst in London.

Retailers in the United States tend to buy their own solar-power systems, at $4 million to $6 million for a store the size of a Wal-Mart, or enter into an agreement with a utility company that pays the up-front costs and then gives the store a break on power bills — an approach that appeals to big chains.

The article also discusses a number of issues, like the relative cost of various types of energy production, stores marketing themselves as "green" and various state incentives.