The Home Depot Expands Renewable Energy Initiatives

The company will purchase enough wind energy from the Pretty Prairie Wind Project in Kansas to power about 40 stores for a year.

CDP, an environmental impact non-profit, has named The Home Depot to its Climate Change “A” list for cutting carbon emissions and alleviating climate risks. In this year’s CDP report, The Home Depot is aiming for a 50 percent reduction of carbon emissions by 2035.  

“Managing carbon emissions has been a focus for Home Depot for the past 10 years,” says Ron Jarvis, vice president of environmental innovation. “Our dual strategy to reduce our total energy use and create a cleaner energy portfolio has helped us to reduce our absolute carbon emissions by over 3 million metric tons since 2009.”

As part of an overall renewable energy strategy, The Home Depot continues major investments in wind and solar by adding a third offsite wind project. The company will purchase enough wind energy from the Pretty Prairie Wind Project in Kansas to power about 40 stores for a year.

The Pretty Prairie Wind Project, owned and operated by a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources LLC, is located in Reno County. Through a 15-year power purchase agreement, The Home Depot will purchase 15 MW of the wind farm’s 220 MW capacity once it is operational in late 2019.

In addition to wind farms in Kansas, Texas, and Mexico, the company also acquires energy from solar farms in Delaware, Massachusetts, and Minnesota. Forty-five Home Depot stores have operational rooftop solar systems with a combined annual output of 25 million kWh and the company plans to expand its residential rooftop solar offerings.