Woolworths has installed a solar panel system at its Orange store (NSW) in the shape of the retailer’s logo to mark its 100th supermarket solar installation.
The 100kW solar system features 357 solar panels spanning around 1,000 square metres to help reduce the grocery’s environmental footprint and save on energy costs.
The system can produce over 150 megawatt hours of electricity every year, which can help offset approximately 8 per cent of the store’s energy consumption.
Currently, there are over 140 sites across the Woolworths Group that are using solar energy.
Woolworths Orange store manager Rae-Anne Ross said the team is pleased to be reducing the supermarket’s environmental footprint and energy costs.
“From store lighting and air-conditioning to food refrigeration and preparation, there is no doubt supermarkets are energy intensive to run,” Ross said.
“In recent years we’ve been working to run our stores more sustainably, and energy use is a big part of the effort. We’re investing in more efficient refrigeration and lighting systems, and harnessing the power of renewables across the network too.”
Woolworths said that it generates more than 15,000 megawatt hours of electricity using solar energy every year. Currently, a third of its supermarkets have hybrid or HCF-free refrigeration systems, while over 800 supermarkets use LED lighting, which reduces energy consumption in a store by around 10-15 per cent.
