Shopping malls go solar in N.J. and Colo.

While malls have always been known as a place for consumption, they’re about to start giving back.

Developers Diversified Realty Corporation announced Monday (Sept. 27) that it would install photovoltaic solar panels on the roofs of seven shopping malls in Colorado and New Jersey.

The two states are known to have aggressive solar incentive and rebate programs. But this won’t be the first solar installation DDR has completed. The company installed solar panels on the roofs of almost 200 of its 713 shopping malls around the country last year.

Marty Richmond, the senior communications director for DDR, said the company has been looking for ways to increase its sustainability.

“Leasing roof space for solar panel hosting provides an opportunity for creative revenue generation while supporting our corporate sustainable energy initiative,” Richmond said.

DDR is contracting with SunEdison to provide the crystalline-Silicon panels for the roofs of seven shopping malls: the Wrangleboro Consumer Square and Hamilton Commons in New Jersey, and University Hills and Centennial Promenade in Denver, Colo., to name a few.

The panels, once installed, are expected to generate 2.6 million kilowatts of power and cover more than 340,000 square feet of shopping mall roof.

The energy the panels produce will not likely be enough to reverse the energy meters at the shopping malls, but they will slow consumption.

“With this innovative program, the company is able to reduce energy expenditures for the common areas of our shopping centers,” Richmond said. “And realize environmental benefits by reducing noise, pollution, and greenhouse gases.”

DDR will lease the power from SunEdison. As a result, the publicly-traded commercial real estate investment company will not have to foot any of the upfront installation costs. It’s simply providing the massive unused real estate atop the mall roofs.

DDR will then buy the clean energy produced by the photovoltaic panels from SunEdison, thus reducing its monthly energy bills.

While Richmond did not comment on the company’s previous investments in solar, the results were obviously good enough to warrant a second investment.

Richmond could not say when the Colorado and New Jersey projects would be completed.