Why Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT) Loves Solar: SolarCity Corp (SCTY), Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST)

More to come
Even these three companies have just begun scratching the surface of solar. Wal-Mart still has 4,300 locations without solar and, with recent installations announced as far north as Ohio, there’s no reason to think this won’t be a national strategy. Electricity costs, solar intensity, and local policy will play a role, but I think Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) will continue to be the leader in commercial solar.

Kohl’s has also made a long-term commitment. About 15% of its stores are already solar covered, which is a good start; but that leaves about 850 without solar. That’s a huge opportunity for both Kohl’s and the solar industry.

Foolish bottom line
Companies like SolarCity and SunRun are making commercial installations possible from a regulatory and installation standpoint, making it easy for big retailers to go solar. Overall, installations in the U.S. grew 76% last year and commercial will continue to be a big piece of this growth. If Wal-Mart, Costco, and Kohl’s are believers in solar, you should be too.

The article Why Wal-Mart Loves Solar originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Travis Hoium.

Fool contributor Travis Hoium has no position in any stocks mentioned. You can follow Travis on Twitter at @FlushDrawFool, check out his personal stock holdings or follow his CAPS picks at TMFFlushDraw. The Motley Fool recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool owns shares of Costco Wholesale.

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