(Source: Business Wire)Today, Kohl's Department Stores (NYSE: KSS) will open 30 new stores throughout the state of California, including its 59th solar location in the state at Point West in Sacramento. The Sacramento store is Kohl's 79th solar location nationwide. Including the new Sacramento solar location, nearly half of Kohl's California stores will be solar. Other recent California solar locations activated by Kohl's in the last month include Mira Loma, Rancho San Diego and San Jose South.

"Energy efficiency and green power are key business and environmental strategies for Kohl's, and we continue to work to make them an integral part of building and expansion efforts," said Ken Bonning, Kohl's executive vice president of store planning and logistics. "Our solar program is a hallmark of our green power efforts, and we're continuing to expand it because it demonstrates our commitment to sustainability and improving the environment directly in the communities we serve."

All 30 Kohl's stores opening in California today, including the Point West location in Sacramento, were among the 36 former Mervyns locations acquired by Kohl's since December 2008. These California locations, like all Kohl's stores, have high-efficiency heating and cooling systems, occupancy sensor lighting for stockrooms, break rooms and offices and a recycling program for cardboard boxes, hangers and packaging.

The Point West store's 990-panel, 206 kilowatt solar array will generate approximately 50 percent of the store's energy and is expected to offset almost 5.7 million pounds of CO2 during its lifespan, the equivalent of taking approximately 28 cars off the road each year for 20 years.

Since Kohl's activated its first solar location in Laguna Niguel, Calif. in September 2007, Kohl's has established a strong solar presence in the state, generating approximately 50 million kWh of clean, renewable energy -- enough to power 5,700 houses for a year. To date, Kohl's has been able to install rooftop solar systems on 90 percent of locations targeted -- exceptional by solar industry standards -- and account for nearly one percent of the 2017 goal of 3,000 megawatts set by the California Solar Initiative.

Kohl's near-term goal is to have 100 solar locations in six states -- California, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland and Oregon.