Tesco has announced plans to install solar panels on 100 of its large stores across the UK over the next three years, with the onsite power generation helping to manage increased electricity demand and higher energy costs.
The project forms part of a number of new Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) with renewables investors. Tesco has already launched a series of onsite and offsite PPAs to increase the amount of renewable electricity it can generate directly.
The project is underway, with the first store in Thetford fitted with more than 1,000 solar panels as part of a PPA with renewables investors, Atrato Onsite Energy. Four more stores will begin construction before the end of the year, generating an additional 2GWh of electricity.
The new project builds on the 40 Tesco stores that already have solar panels fitted – generating over 10.5GWh of solar electricity in the last year, equivalent to 3,800 homes.
Tesco noted that onsite renewables like solar panels take pressure off the wider national grid infrastructure, and the renewable energy that will be generated by the programme will drive progress towards its commitment to become carbon neutral across its own operations by 2035.
Group CEO Ken Murphy said: “As we all face into the effects of climate change, scaling up our use of clean renewable energy has never been more important. That’s why we are continuing our work to source green electricity from our own estate, setting out ambitious plans to install solar panels on the roofs of 100 of our large stores across the UK over the next three years – moving us further towards our target to be carbon neutral in our own operations by 2035.”
