Tesco has unveiled a new target to install solar panels on 100 of its stores over the next three years.
Should the retail giant realise this ambition, the company could generate as much as 20GWh of renewable electricity. This would be a key milestone in achieving its carbon neutral status by 2035 target.
Tesco revealed it has already secured power purchase agreements (PPAs) with a number of renewable investors, one of which includes Atrato Onsite Energy. This agreement has seen the first store in Thetford fitted with more than 1,000 solar panels with an annual generation capacity of c.300MWh.
Four more stores will see construction begin on its solar panels before the end of the year. This includes one in Stevenage (c.375MWh per annum), Wisbech (c.660MWh per annum), Kings Lynn (c.530MWh per annum) and Stockport (c.275MWh per annum).
It is worth noting that the agreement with Atrato, signed in February 2023, established plans to deliver solar PV projects at up to 20 sites as the first step under the new framework.
The retailer confirmed it has already launched a series of onsite and offsite PPAs to increase the amount of renewable electricity it can generate directly.
Ken Murphy, CEO of Tesco 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.”
