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Wal-Mart has deployed and uses huge amounts of renewable energy. They're probably a bigger consumer of renewable energy than the vast majority of countries. That doesn't mean that it makes financial sense for smaller companies, though...they're able to build this because of economies of scale, i.e. they're able to buy things in vast sums and realize cost savings as a result. They use so much energy that they are by financial/shareholder necessity on the forefront of reducing the costs as much/as fast as possible. They're also redesigning long-haul trucks to be more fuel efficient. You can find both of those things via google. In the southwest of the US (where it is only intermittently/rarely cloudy), we're at a point right now where it makes sense for a homeowner to buy a solar panel system if they can afford it or finance it. Solar panels are no longer a product where it's a luxury or you buy it to feel good about yourself. It makes financial sense...albeit with the 30% federal tax credit. Within 5 years time, it is very likely that the prices will be low enough and the efficiencies high enough that even the federal tax credit will be meaningless. Probably 10 years from now for the rest of the country that have cloudier skies. So you can imagine the same will be true for businesses, but slightly faster since they would have large scale advantages. Solar power is a very near-term inevitability. You're going to see it being a standard option on new home construction, etc. The current hot fad in the tech sector is what Solar City is doing which is solar leasing, where a company puts solar panels on your roof at 0 cost that they own, and then they sell you the electricity back at a lower cost than the utility. It's a great idea for those who don't want the upfront costs, although most homeowners with good finances are much better off buying the systems outright. What Solar City is doing (and other companies have followed suit) could very rapidly speed up the transition. As to nuclear, there is no doubt that we should be building nuclear plants by the dozen. They're cheaper and cleaner. Disposal is mostly just a political bogeyman of the NIMBY variety. Those against it have such poor objections that they come across sounding brainwashed. It boggles the mind that many greenies are standing in the way of it. Been that way for a while now. Speaking of fission, on the topic of fusion, Lockheed Martin has said they will try to have a prototype fusion power generator by 2017, with goals to begin making them for sale in 2022. That's another thing to pop into Google. The energy future is exciting and American ingenuity is mostly leading the way 
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Sep 19, 2014 22:56
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I'm kinda doubting your company runs off the grid...that would be costly. How are y'all storing energy and how do you meet peak energy demand? More than likely you are just generating your own energy usage, and push/pull from the grid without much net costs.
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Sep 22, 2014 05:01
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