Kohl’s adds solar, S.C. Johnson captures wind

   Kohl’s Department Stores on Tuesday switched on its largest solar-power project at its million-square-foot e-commerce distribution center in Edgewater, Md.
   The facility opened in 2011 and recently earned its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The location is Kohl’s sixth solar-based site in Maryland.
   The Edgewood facility’s 2.4 megawatt solar power system, which includes 8,360 rooftop panels, will generate more than 3 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually and provide more than 40 percent of the building’s energy, the Menomonee Falls, Wis.-based company said in a statement.
   Up until this point, Kohl’s largest solar site was at its San Bernardino, Calif., distribution center with a 1 megawatt, 6,208-panel rooftop solar array.
   Kohl’s current solar energy portfolio totals nearly 42 megawatts, generating more than 57,400 megawatt hours of electricity a year.
   Also on Tuesday, Wisconsin-based manufacturer of household cleaning products S.C. Johnson & Son activated two utility-scale wind turbines at its Waxdale factory, capable of producing about 8 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year, or enough to power 700 homes annually.
   “The addition of wind power means that the facility is now able to produce an average of 100 percent of its electrical energy onsite, reducing carbon emissions associated with powering Waxdale by 6,000 metric tons annually,” the company said in a press release.
   S.C. Johnson operates other onsite wind turbines, including a 262-foot-tall unit in the Netherlands which helps power its European manufacturing facility, in addition to SWIFT mini-turbines at its Racine, Wis., headquarters and Lowell, Ark., sales office.