Grocery giant Walmart has entered into an agreement with SunPower that will see the renewable energy firm install solar power at two distribution centers and 19 stores in Illinois.



A combination of rooftop and ground-mount systems will be installed, and are set to account for 23 megawatts of power.



Walmart's vice president for energy, Mark Vanderhelm, said in a statement Tuesday that solar was a vital component of the firm's expanding renewable energy portfolio.

"These planned projects with SunPower are moving us in the right direction toward our renewable energy goals," Vanderhelm added.



Construction of the Illinois systems is slated to start in the first half of 2019, Walmart said.



The company has ambitious plans when it comes to sustainability. By 2025, it wants to power half of its operations with renewable energy. Looking at the bigger picture, the business wants to cut emissions in its global value chain by one billion metric tons by the year 2030.

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