Shallotte mayor among 4 NC mayors urging Walmart to install solar panels to reduce carbon emissions

SHALLOTTE, NC (WWAY) — Four North Carolina mayors have joined a national letter calling for Walmart to adopt rooftop solar, including Shallotte Mayor Walter Eccard.

According to a press release, switching power sources from fossil fuels to renewable energy, including solar, will limit the carbon emissions that cause climate change, citing that big box stores have the roof space to generate solar power.

The four mayors from North Carolina join 59 elected officials from across the country signing a letter urging Walmart to install solar panels on all viable roofs and parking lots by 2035.

The letter, addressed to Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, identifies the benefits of rooftop solar for the environment, consumers and businesses including Walmart.

“Walmart’s giant rooftops and parking lots are perfect places to generate clean, renewable energy. This solar will not only power stores but also clean up the air and create an emergency power source for the surrounding community,” Johanna Neumann said.

“That’s real efficiency, and a service to all — just the kind of innovation that a smart retailer such as Walmart should embrace.”

Walmart is the largest retailer in the United States, and 90 percent of Americans live within 10 miles of one of its locations. Through 2019, the company was the nation’s second-largest business installer of on-site solar panels, just behind Target. A commitment to put solar panels on nearly all of its stores, distribution centers and accompanying parking lots by 2035 would position Walmart as a national corporate leader in transitioning to renewable energy.