Walmart had installed
105 megawatts
of solar panels
–enough to power
about 20,000 houses
–on the roofs
of 327 stores and
distribution centers
(about 6% of all their locations).
That’s enough to make Walmart
the single biggest commercial
solar generator in the country.
And Walmart intends to double
its number of arrays by 2020.
Walmart’s goal is now
50% renewable energy
by 2025.
Last year Walmart
asked Telsa to
disconnect their
solar panels
on 240 stores,
and pay for damages
after seven fires,
which Walmart claims
has cost $8.2 million,
and were allegedly
caused by
Telsa's negligence.
One fire in 2012,
one in 2016,
another in 2017,
and three fires
in the first half
of 2018.
Amazon also had
a Tesla (SolarCity)
panels fire.
On May 31, 2018,
after the 2018 fires,
Walmart demanded,
that Tesla “de-energize”
( disconnect )
all solar panel systems
installed at Walmart sites.
Tesla complied.
Then another Walmart
rooftop solar panel
installation caught fire !
Walmart wants Tesla
to pay for all damages.
I assume the
disconnected panels
will be left on the roofs
for public relations.
The lawsuit accuses Tesla
of having untrained workers
and shoddy installations,
showing
“utter incompetence
or callousness, or both."
Tesla’s struggling
solar panel business
was acquired through
its $2.6 billion purchase
of SolarCity in 2016.
Quarterly solar
panel installations
fell more than 85%
since that deal,
as Tesla has cut its
solar panel sales force
and ended a
distribution deal
with Home Depot.