The Green Room

Distribution center now powered up to 20 percent by large-scale wind turbine

By Walmart Green Room on October 31, 2012 Leave a comment

Newly-operational 1.0 megawatt wind turbine at Walmart distribution center in Red Bluff, Calif.

Celebrating a renewable energy milestone, U.S. Congressman Wally Herger joined Walmart in the northern California town of Red Bluff on Monday for a dedication ceremony at the company’s first large-scale wind turbine.

Expected to generate approximately 2,200,000 kilowatt hours of power per year, the GE SLE 1.0 Megawatt Wind Turbine will provide as much as 20 percent of the electricity needed to run the nearby Walmart distribution center.

No less impressive is its sheer size. With a tower measuring 265 feet in height and blades spanning 250 feet in diameter, it is roughly the height of a typical 20-story building and can be spotted from miles away. (See slideshow of project under construction.)

Walmart associates and Congressman Herger lead a cheer at the ribbon cutting ceremony (From l. to r. Kim Saylors-Laster, Congressman Wally Herger, Laura Wilkin, Deborah Herron and Darwyn Jones).

To recognize our company’s contributions to the local community and economy as a responsible producer of renewable energy, Congressman Herger awarded Walmart and its partner, Foundation Windpower, each with a Certificate of Congressional Recognition.