As much as we like to condemn big box stores for being the death of small town america, sometimes it takes the buying power of the retail giants in the world to make a difference. With solar as popular in the ’00s as the behive was in the ’50s, these retail giants are jumping on the bandwagon started by Whole Foods.
This should drive prices in the solar world down as production increases. Even Wal-Mart is on the team as quoted from the New York Times
“Bernard Sosnick, an analyst with Gilford Securities who has examined Wal-Mart’s plans, said the day might come when people can pull their electric cars up to a store and recharge them with power from the roof or even from wind turbines in the parking lot.”
Yes, thats right. That was Wal-Mart. Maybe the world is coming to an end
Tags: big box stores, energy construction, save energy, solar, solar panels, solar power, Wal-Mart solar, walmart solar, white roof, white roofing, Whole Foods solar
Everybody is aware with the fact that darker materials absorb more heat from sun than white/light colors, but an interesting data I want to share that black surface in the sun can be 40°C (70°F) hotter than the reflective white surface. This phenomenon occurs in the case of roofs also and heated roof then transfer their heat to surrounded air and contribute to heat island effect, while reflective metallic/ ceramic roof can reflect 65-75 %solar light. According to California energy commissioner “White roofs can cut a building’s energy use by 20% and save consumers money,” and “The potential energy savings in the U.S. is in excess of $1 billion annually.”
http://buildinggreenlife.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/magic-of-white-roofs/