The Home Depot announced that 100 MW of solar energy purchased from National Grid Renewables at its solar and storage project in Denton County, Texas (known as Noble) will generate the approximate equivalent of nearly eight percent of The Home Depot’s total electricity usage. The solar farm is National Grid Renewables’ largest solar energy project to date, and its first utility-scale energy storage project. 

The Home Depot has pledged to produce or procure 100% renewable electricity equivalent to the electricity needs for all Home Depot facilities by 2030, expanding the company’s previous commitment to produce or procure 335 megawatts of renewable or alternative energy by 2025.

“Solar energy is the most abundant energy resource on earth,” said Ron Jarvis, chief sustainability officer for The Home Depot. “With this purchase, we are getting a step closer to our goal to produce or procure 100% renewable electricity equivalent to the needs of our facilities. We anticipate about three-quarters of our alternative and renewable energy capacity will come from solar energy by the end of 2023.”

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Noble is a 275 megawatt (MW) solar and 125 megawatt hour (MWh) energy storage project located in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Noble is projected to avoid 450,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually during operation.

The Home Depot is reducing its carbon footprint by improving the efficiency of the company’s operations and investing in alternative energy solutions. Since 2010, The Home Depot has reduced electricity consumption in its U.S. stores by 50 percent and currently operates rooftop solar farms on more than 80 stores and electricity-generating fuel cells in more than 200 stores. 

The Home Depot currently purchases solar power from a 75 MW facility and is under contract for another 50 MW of solar capacity. The company also purchases energy from a 50 MW wind facility. The Home Depot expects the combined annual renewable energy generation from these agreements would be enough to power more than 500 stores.