Tesco Ireland stores are getting the solar treatment thanks to a partnership between the retailer and renewable energy company, Greenvolt Next.
Some 24 Tesco Ireland stores – the largest ones in the country among them – will have solar panels installed by the end of 2025.
More than 2,000 solar panels have already been installed at Tesco Extra stores in Liffey Valley and Naas, while the latest phase involved solar panel installations at Tesco Extra stores in Dundalk, Clearwater, and Arklow, and at superstores in Carrick-on-Shannon and Ballybeg.
It’s an extension of a Tesco renewable energy strategy already under way in Ireland. A wind turbine at Tesco’s Donabate distribution centre already generates 1,500 MWh of electricity each year, of which 30% feeds back to the national grid.
The latest move will boost Tesco’s total renewable energy capacity to 6.2 GWh annually, according to the retailer, which said solar panels can provide up to 20% of a store’s electricity needs. Private businesses investing in solar also helps ease pressure on the national grid as well as supporting individual and national carbon reduction targets.
Geoff Byrne, CEO at Tesco Ireland, commented: “We are fully committed to being carbon neutral in our own operations by 2035, and this is a strategic priority for us.”
He added that having on-site renewable energy generation is a key part of that plan.
Speaking at the Tesco Extra Store in Dundalk as part of an event to mark the new renewable energy partnership, the minister for climate, environment & energy, Darragh O’Brien, said: “It’s a very positive step forward to see Tesco harnessing the massive potential of solar energy to provide cheaper, green energy for their larger stores.
“This will without a doubt significantly reduce the stores’ carbon footprint and contribute in a very positive way to Ireland’s sustainability agenda.”
Owen Power, CEO of Greenvolt Next, which also works with Aldi and Lidl, remarked: “The large flat roof spaces of big retail units provide an excellent opportunity to seamlessly integrate solar panels, reducing both energy costs and emissions.
“Tesco has been a front-runner in adopting renewable energy, and we are delighted to be enhancing its solar energy capacity further, helping Tesco meet its ambitious decarbonisation goals.”
[image credit: Tesco]
