Following a solar installation being installed at a Walmart in Colorado, the retail giant recently announced plans to install solar panels on about half of its stores in Massachusetts as early as August.

The installations for the 27 stores are still in the engineering phase, but once the projects are done, they are expected to generate a total of 10.5 megawatts of energy, which is enough to power up to 2,600 homes, according to the Boston Globe.

“On average, the systems we’ll be using in Massachusetts will provide from 10 to 15 percent of each store’s power requirements,’’ said David Ozment, Walmart’s director of energy programs, the Globe reported. “We’re very optimistic that we’re going to save some dollars over time.’’

Walmart's plans to install the solar panels were spurred by Governor Deval Patrick, who as early as 2008 encouraged the use of green energy at large retail buildings where flat roofs would be ideal for solar power, the newspaper noted. The governor is hoping to install 250 megawatts of solar generation in the state of Massachusetts by 2017.

According to Walmart, shoppers saved a total of $700 million a year in rollback savings in 2009, according to Daily Finance. That number has been disputed, but it is all but indisputable that Walmart will be able to save money itself thanks to its new solar installations in the Bay State.