Iceland Foods is to roll out rooftop solar systems across multiple sites within its retail estate.

The combined energy output of the multiple installations will be up to 10MWp, enough to power approximately 3,000 UK homes, and is expected to save 2,500 tonnes of CO2 annually.

The energy systems will be installed in partnership with renewable energy company Shawton Energy who will design, develop, fund, and manage the rooftop solar PV systems across all locations through a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) model.

The PPA will allow Iceland to have access to clean, on-site energy generation without the need for any initial capital outlay.

The Iceland store on Penny Lane, Liverpool, is the first of the sites to install on-site renewable energy and will be followed by its Queensferry Food Warehouse.

The 88kW system on Penny Lane and 115kW system at Queensferry combined are estimated to save the retailer over 40,000kg of CO2 annually.

Further stores on Iceland’s solar rollout list include sites in Coventry, Shrewsbury, Doncaster, Leicester, Waterlooville, Ellesmere Port and Dover.

Iceland currently has around 1000 stores around the country and around 200 food warehouse stores, a larger store format which was first opened in 2014.

“In 2021, we became the world’s first retailer to commit to be Net Zero carbon, and by generating clean, renewable energy on site, we’re taking a major step toward meeting our environmental goals,” said Graham Ireland, head of energy & mechanical services at Iceland. “This partnership with Shawton Energy is an exciting step in our journey towards achieving net zero by 2040.

“Generating renewable energy to power our sites will continue to be a priority for us in the coming years, as we continue to identify solutions to optimise sustainability across the business.”

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