The Co-op Group has announced its ambitions to install solar panels on up to 700 sites across its UK food, funeralcare and logistic portfolio, over the next three years.
It hopes to install up to 76,000 panels, with the goal of generating 30,000 MWh of electricity, enough to power the equivalent of around 12,500 homes.
The move will also alleviate pressure on the national grid and help the Group with its commitment to become net zero across its own operations by 2035 , the retailer adds.
“Our investment in onsite power generation across our estate is part of Co-op’s commitment to playing its role in the transition to net zero,” said property and sustainability director Heather Thomas. “This project, alongside increasing our investment in corporate power purchase agreements, is crucial to guaranteeing that the energy we use in our operations is renewable and traceable.
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“It’s imperative that all businesses, no matter their size, address their environmental impact with high importance and this includes how energy is sourced.”
Over the next 12 months, the Group’s property and procurement teams will work with its development partner, Zestec Renewable Energy, and audit the business’s portfolio to identify suitable sites.
Custom Solar, one of the UK’s largest solar PV developers, will work with Zestec and the Group to design, develop and install the PV systems across the selected sites within estate.
Toby Smith, chief operations officer at Zestec, said: “We’re thrilled to be supporting Co-op on this important programme. This key milestone shows how funded on-site power purchase agreements (PPAs) are a powerful way to make meaningful and scalable inroads towards net zero.
“As part of the Octopus group, Zestec will provide the funding, development, and operational management of this solar portfolio. We look forward to working with the teams and turning this important ambition into a reality.”
The news follows the launch of a solar farm in Cambridgeshire – made possible by the Group’s signing of a PPA – and a further agreement to take the entire output of a 34-megawatt solar farm, located in North Yorkshire, which is set to be fully operational in 2025.
