As part of its commitment to renewable energy, retailing giant Wal-Mart
Although the details of the RFP have not been released to the public, it has been reported that the installation could total 100 megawatts of power. That's more than 60 times larger than the 1.6 megawatt facility Google
In one way, the news that Wal-Mart is embracing solar power isn't really that surprising. After labor, electricity is Wal-Mart's largest cost. Now that Sharp, Kyocera
The news is an even bigger deal for the solar industry, and investors should watch carefully to see which company or companies win Wal-Mart's bid. Success should be a good indication of which firms can compete to supply and install such large-scale projects.
That's important, too. If the Wal-Mart project is successful, I suspect the company will need more than 100 megawatts of power in the future. In addition, I'll bet that other large retailers such as Target
If so, they'll only add to the solar industry's growing momentum.
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Fool contributor Jack Uldrich does not own stock in Wal-Mart, but he does buy his energy-efficient light bulbs at its stores. He does, though, own stock in SunTech Power. The Fool has a strict disclosure policy.