BJ’s Wholesale Club Reduces Energy Spend With Multi-State Solar Portfolio

BJ’s Wholesale Club is a leading membership-only wholesale retailer with more than 215 locations spanning from Florida to Maine. Renowned for its commitment to value and service, BJ’s continues to seek innovative ways to enhance operational efficiency and support long-term growth. By embracing clean energy solutions across its multi-state portfolio, BJ’s demonstrates its dedication to reducing costs, increasing profitability, and delivering greater value to its members and the communities it serves.

The Challenge

Managing Energy Costs Across a Diverse Store Portfolio

With more than 215 locations throughout the East Coast, BJ’s Wholesale Club faced the challenge of managing rising energy costs while maintaining profitability and operational efficiency. The company needed a solution that could be deployed across a wide range of facilities in different states, each with unique regulatory environments and energy needs. BJ’s sought a partner that could help identify and implement solar opportunities at scale, leveraging a mix of financial structures and incentive programs to reduce energy spend, increase store profitability, and support its leadership in sustainability.

PowerFlex’s Solution

Scalable Solar Deployment Across Multiple States

INSTALLATION TYPE

Rooftop Solar

INSTALLATION SIZE

25.8 MW across 35 sites

LOCATIONS

Connecticut
Massachusetts
New Jersey
New York

ANNUAL ENERGY PRODUCTION

26.7 Million kWh

INCENTIVES

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) • Zero-Emission Renewable Energy Credits ZREC (CT) • Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) Program (MA) • Transition Renewable Energy Certificate (TREC) Program (NJ)

PowerFlex partnered with BJ’s Wholesale Club to review its entire store portfolio for solar feasibility, ultimately deploying 25.8 megawatts (MW) of rooftop solar across 35 sites in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York. By leveraging a mix of project financial structures — including direct ownership, power purchase agreements (PPAs), and site/host leases — PowerFlex tailored each installation to the specific needs and goals of each location. The projects took advantage of a variety of state and local incentive programs, such as ZREC, SMART, TREC, and NYSERDA, to maximize financial returns. This scalable, multi-state approach enabled BJ’s to significantly reduce its energy expenditure, increase store profitability, and achieve substantial tax benefits while advancing its sustainability leadership.