Discounter Lidl has announced that it has invested €1.6 million towards the installation of around 7,200 solar panels at its distribution centre in Sint-Niklaas in Belgium.
The retailer will generate 1,730 megawatt hours of energy per year through this installation, which is equivalent to the annual energy needs of 600 households.
The electricity generated will cover around 33% of the energy requirements in the distribution centre, and will be used for industrial cooling, air conditioning, and lighting.
'Energy Transition'
Flemish minister for energy, Lydia Peeters, said, "Energy transition needs larger renewable energy projects such as this at Lidl in Sint-Niklaas.
"The solar park of 7,200 panels on the roof of their distribution centre makes a big difference, not only for the energy bill of the company, but also in terms of achieving Flemish renewable energy targets."
The facility at Sint-Niklaas is Lidl's largest distribution centre in Belgium, and supplies goods to around eighty stores in the provinces of East and West Flanders.
Renewable Resources
By 2020, Lidl aims to convert 12.5% of its energy consumption to renewable resources.
Three of its five distribution centres are partly powered by solar energy, and are equipped with around 19,120 solar panels.
The retailer is also working on its goal to switch to 100% solar energy in its supermarkets.
“At the start of 2016, we only had four stores with solar panels. By the end of 2016, there were already 24, and our goal is to significantly increase this number by providing around twenty branches with solar panels every year," Lidl spokesperson, Isabelle Colbrandt, said.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
