Wal-Mart cancels plans for solar panels

A deal in the works to put a solar panel "roof" over the proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter's parking lot in northwest Gainesville Florida has fallen through due to changes at Gainesville Regional Utilities. Last year, GRU began discussing the opportunity with SunEdison, a nationwide solar provider, and Wal-Mart about funding a portion - up to 15 percent - of the solar project. "Talks had gone back and forth. Meanwhile, the solar feed-in tariff got developed and approved, which replaces the business solar photovoltaic rebates," said Kim Jamerson, a spokeswoman for GRU. Jamerson said Wal-Mart could use the new feed-in tariff system, which provides 32 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity generated. That program has been filled until 2011, when the price paid by GRU per kilowatt hour declines. Early discussions estimated the $2.2 million Wal-Mart project would have produced 250 kilowatts of energy per day. Wal-Mart could not be reached for comment about the future use of solar panels.