While federal support for expansion of renewable energy may be waning, private development carries on. With that investment, large-scale installations demonstrate that renewables and energy efficiency can play an important part in a company’s broader business goals.

In late October 2025, United Natural Foods (UNFI) announced it is installing a major solar array at one of its distribution centers. The company describes the project as its eighth and largest to date.

Installed on top of UNFI’s Riverside, Calif., distribution center, the 6.7-megawatt (MW) array will span nearly 1,000 yards and is expected to generate about 80% of the site’s electricity needs. That is equivalent to the amount of power consumed by approximately 1,500 homes every year. It is being developed in partnership with clean energy provider PowerFlex, San Diego, and is projected to reduce the distribution center’s emissions by 85%.

The company has a demonstrated history of commitment to energy efficiency and on-site renewable power. Last year, UNFI announced a 3.2-MW solar array at its Howell, N.J., distribution center. It was projected to generate enough renewable electricity to meet the facility’s annualized energy needs, and at the time, it was described as the largest in the company’s history.

At the same time, UNFI also announced plans to complete LED energy lighting upgrades at 33 distribution centers that, once complete, were estimated to save the company approximately $15 million over a 10-year period.

The commitment goes back decades. In 2007, UNFI dedicated the installation of what was then described as “the largest solar electric system in New England.” The 550-kilowatt STC solar photovoltaic system was installed at the company’s natural foods distribution facility in Dayville, Conn., and was expected to generate approximately 600,000 kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually.

In announcing the Riverside project, UNFI described how renewables, and solar in particular, are an important part of the company’s broader business objectives. Kevin Alavi, UNFI’s director of sustainable operations, said “solar arrays are one of our most important strategies to achieving our climate goals and supporting operational resilience.”

UNFI describes itself as “the largest publicly traded wholesale distributor delivering healthier food options to people throughout the United States and Canada.”