Target Store In California Declared Net Zero Energy Property, In A First For Retailer

A Target Corporation TGT location in Vista, California is the retailer's first net zero energy store, the company announced Thursday. 

What Happened: According to the Minneapolis-based company, the store has been retrofitted to generate renewable energy through 3,420 solar panels across its roof and from newly installed carport canopies. The site is expected to produce up to a 10% energy surplus annually that can be transmitted back to the local power grid. The Vista store is among 542 Target buildings with solar installations.

Furthermore, the building’s retrofit is designed to reduce emissions by powering its HVAC heating through the rooftop solar panels rather than natural gas. The store also switched to carbon dioxide refrigeration, a natural refrigerant, that Target said would be scaled across its department store chain by 2040 to reduce its direct operations' emissions by 20%.

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Why It Happened: "We've been working for years at Target to shift toward sourcing more renewable energy and further reducing our carbon footprint, and our Vista store's retrofit is the next step in our sustainability journey and a glimpse of the future we're working toward," said John Conlin, senior vice president of properties at Target.

"Our new stores and remodel programs are designed to help achieve our sustainability goals as we test, learn and scale our innovations over time across our operations."

With the completion of the Vista store’s installation, Target has applied for net zero energy certification from the International Living Future Institute.

Photo: The Vista, California, Target store, courtesy of the company.