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Wal-Mart may not be synonymous with solar and other greentech power solutions, but the international retail behemoth—with its sustainability initiative's goal of going 100% renewable-- has jumped to the forefront of companies moving toward a more environmentally operating stance.

The company just commissioned yet another solar PV system--its 15th--at a store in Hanford, CA, a 354-KWp array installed with one of its partners, the Sunlight subsidiary of SunPower. (BP Solar and SunEdison are also on board.) Wal-Mart says it should have 19 of a planned 22 rooftop systems (an example of which is shown above) deployed at both retail and distribution centers in California and Hawaii before the end of the year.

Once the program is completed, the overall installed capacities will push past double-digit megawattage and generate around 20 million KW-hr/year of sun juice.

Aside from the company’s photovoltaic push, the Walton family has also contributed mightily to the nurturing and maturation of the solar success story of the past few years: First Solar. The late John Walton invested $250 million over the years in the cadmium-telluride thin-film PV company by some accounts, helping it through the long and sometimes tortuous path through development to proven manufacturability. His various estate trusts continue to own millions of First Solar shares, accounting for nearly 35-40% of the outstanding stock.

Madrone Capital, a venture arm of the Walton empire, has also emerged as one of the leading funders of Solyndra, the copper-indium-gallium-(di)selenide TFPV company with the tubular CIGS module, which recently emerged from stealth mode.

Given the soft spot for thin-film PV in the Walton clan and the solar push by the corporation that halfway bears their name, the company’s new partnership with the Environmental Defense Fund to foster the development of new and emerging TFPV technologies may not be as much of a strange bedfellows moment as one might think.

The partners have issued a request of proposal for thin-film and next-generation applications, with the intent of "surfacing near-market-ready technology" for deployment at pilot sites in 200-KW to 1-MW system chunks.

According to the RFP document (which is itself a solid primer on the details of what’s needed in a solar project), the two organizations have identified as an "important goal the development of building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) and other emerging thin-film photovoltaic technologies into commercially viable, consistent, and cost-effective sources of renewable energy. 

"WMT is considering the installation of BIPV and/or TFPV systems at various demonstration facilities.  Potential demonstration facilities include existing stores and buildings; mobile sources such as trucks, sun shields in parking areas, or other nontraditional solar applications will also be considered.

"If demonstration and pilot projects meet stated goals, WMT may evaluate the potential for expanded roll-out at new and existing stores, buildings, and mobile sources," the RFP continues.  "To maximize the environmental benefits from the project, EDF and WMT plan to make public nonconfidential information, tools, and methods developed in the course of the project."    

To help meet said goals, Wal-Mart has laid out a trifecta of possible financing/ownership options:

• "A direct purchase of a turnkey system with a maintenance agreement included within the proposal;
• "A supplier-installed, owned, and operated system governed by an end-user power purchase agreement (PPA) for 100% of the electric output; with WMT retaining a purchase option exercisable at WMT’s discretion; or
• "A lease agreement between supplier and WMT, with WMT taking ownership of 100% of the electrical output; with WMT retaining a purchase option exercisable at WMT’s discretion."

If this sounds intriguing, don’t dilly-dally: for those TFPV and next-gen PV companies interested in submitting a proposal that haven’t done so already, time is running out.

The deadline for statements of qualifications and proposals is 3 p.m. CST, Friday, Dec. 19. (A nondisclosure agreement is also required.) Qualifications and the pricing models for proposed sites will be reviewed in January, Wal-Mart’s internal review will take place in February, and the award winners will get the good news Feb. 28.

Point man for the TFPV RFP is Mack Wyckoff, senior manager in the company’s energy systems and technology division. He can be reached at +1 479-204-2602 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)