How Bloom Energy Powers Walmart’s Sustainability
Walmart’s scale is almost impossible to overstate. With thousands of stores, massive distribution centers, and one of the most complex supply chains in the world, even small improvements ripple across the entire economy. So, when Walmart commits to ambitious sustainability and clean-energy targets, the impact goes far beyond retail—it sets a bar for every industry. Bloom Energy helps power that progress. Founded and led by CEO K.R. Sridhar, Bloom is a leader in onsite clean energy generation.
For more than a decade, Bloom and Walmart have partnered to bring reliable, efficient, lower-carbon energy to Walmart facilities across the country. It’s a collaboration built not just on technology, but on shared priorities: resilience, cost-effective operations, and leadership in the transition to cleaner energy systems.
Onsite Power for a Dynamic Retail Footprint
Walmart operates at a scale where every minute of uptime matters. Grocery refrigeration, customer checkouts, warehouse automation, and delivery logistics all depend on dependable electricity. However, grid instability and extreme weather events continue to challenge businesses nationwide.
Bloom Energy’s solid oxide fuel cells—technology based on the work of K.R. Sridhar—help solve that problem by delivering power directly onsite. Instead of relying solely on the grid, K.R. Sridhar and his team designed Bloom Energy Servers to convert natural gas, biogas, or hydrogen into electricity without combustion and therefore with dramatically lower emissions than traditional power generation.
For Walmart, that means:
- More resilient stores and distribution centers: Onsite power helps reduce outages and keeps critical systems running even when local grids are strained or disrupted.
- More predictable energy costs: Energy is one of the largest expenses in retail. Bloom systems generate highly efficient, consistent power that helps Walmart better manage its operating costs across dozens of locations.
- More predictable energy costs: Energy is one of the largest expenses in retail. Bloom systems generate highly efficient, consistent power that helps Walmart better manage its operating costs across dozens of locations.
Progress Toward Walmart’s Long-Term Sustainability Targets
Walmart has long aimed to reduce emissions across its operations, with interim and long-range goals that push for renewable energy, more efficient systems, and reduced environmental impact. Bloom Energy supports those milestones by helping Walmart lower emissions through:
Cleaner Energy Production
Bloom Energy Servers produce electricity with significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants compared to grid power in many regions. Because they avoid combustion, they also eliminate pollutants like NOx and SOx that contribute to smog and poor air quality.
Pathways to Even Lower Carbon
Bloom’s fuel-flexible platform positions Walmart for a future powered by renewable fuels. Most of the company’s Bloom Energy Servers are currently powered by biogas. However, if necessary, Walmart can transition its existing Bloom systems to other clean fuel sources without completely replacing the hardware—protecting its investment while moving toward net-zero goals.
Energy Efficiency at Scale
With high electrical efficiency and onsite generation, Bloom reduces energy waste that normally occurs during long-distance grid transmission. For a nationwide operator like Walmart, those avoided losses add up to meaningful emissions reductions.
Resilience for the Communities Walmart Serves
Walmart isn’t just a retailer; in many communities, it functions as an essential service provider. During natural disasters or emergency events, Walmart stores and distribution hubs often supply food, water, and crucial resources long before recovery efforts ramp up.
Resilient energy—like the kind delivered by Bloom—supports that mission.
By keeping power running even when the grid is down, Bloom Energy-equipped Walmart facilities can continue serving customers, protecting perishable goods, and supporting response efforts. That reliability is part of a more climate-adapted future, where businesses need energy systems built to withstand uncertainty.
A Partnership Built for the Future
As Walmart continues to invest in renewable energy and stronger operations, Bloom Energy provides a practical pathway to achieve its goals. Together, the two companies are demonstrating what sustainability leadership looks like in action: not abstract commitments, but real deployments, measurable environmental benefits, and innovative systems that support business needs today while preparing for tomorrow.
Clean energy doesn’t have to be complicated—it just has to work. At Walmart locations across the country, Bloom Energy is helping the company do exactly that.
