SunEdison, a subsidiary of MEMC Electronic Materials (NYSE: WFR), has activated a 300,000-square-foot, 1.1-megawatt (MW) solar energy system atop a Staples (NASDAQ:SPLS) fulfillment center in La Mirada, California. It marks the 32nd SunEdison solar power system to be hosted by the office supplies retailer.

The southern California commercial solar installation was financed and built by SunEdison. As owner of the system, the company will also maintain the project’s solar panels, inverters and other components.

Staples, for its part, will purchase the system’s electricity output, which is expected to equal two million kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually and 30 million kWhs over 20 years. According to the press release, the Staples site will offset more than 3o million pounds of carbon dioxide over those same twenty years, equal to eliminating the use of 3,200 cars over the same time frame.

The installation also has direct benefits for the company. It will allow Staples to buy energy directly from its rooftop at a rate that is equal to or below the cost of grid electricity.

Mark Buckley, Staples’ Vice President of Environmental Affairs, had the following to say about Staples’ solar energy initiatives: “Through our solar installations across the country, Staples has managed to reduce operating costs in our facilities while freeing up more electricity during peak times for use by local homes and businesses.”

Staples began a solar power program in 2005. Since then, the company has climbed to number five on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Green Power Partnership’s Top 20 Retail List, which features those U.S. retailers with the most annual green power usage. With the help of SunEdison, Staples recently surpassed a production milestone of 15 million kilowatt-hours.

Staples’ solar power program has resulted in solar installations at over 30 stores throughout the country, including California, Maryland, Connecticut and New Jersey. The Staples Center in Los Angeles, home to the NBA’s Lakers and Clippers, have adopted a wide array of green initiatives since opening in 1999, including 1,727 photovoltaic (PV) solar panels on its rooftop.