• Aldi plans to use 100% renewable electricity at its Australian operations by the end of 2021.
• This will be done through wind energy and the installation of solar panels at its sites.
• The solar panel installations will mean 15% of Aldi’s total energy use will come from the sun.
• Visit Business Insider Australia’s homepage for more stories.

Aldi Australia plans to power its Aussie operations with 100% renewable electricity by the end of 2021.

It comes after the supermarket – which first opened in Australia in 2001 – successfully reduced its emissions by 40% from a 2012 baseline.

Aldi’s renewable electricity commitment will happen through the installation of solar panels across its sites and through wind farms.

The company secured two 10-year Power Purchasing Agreements with large scale wind farms in Victoria and New South Wales. These wind farms will provide renewable energy to Aldi’s stores in New South Wales and Victoria – generating more than 180,000 MWh of electricity and slashing more than 160,000 tonnes of carbon emissions a year.

On the solar energy front, Aldi will add a total of 102,000 solar panels to more than 250 of its stores and six of its distribution centres in Australia by the end of this year. All up, more than 15% of Aldi’s total energy use will come from the sun, with the solar energy slashing 41,000 tonnes of carbon emissions.

Aldi will now have the largest commercial and industrial solar rollout in Australia to date. It will be the same as removing 11,700 cars from the road each year or making enough electricity to power 7,000 homes in Australia.

“We are proud to have built a reputation for providing customers with high quality products and an affordable shopping experience,” Aldi Australia CEO Tom Daunt said in a statement. “As we continue our journey in Australia, we want to reassure our shoppers that how we conduct business is equally important as the value we offer.”

Aldi ranks as Australia’s 64th biggest electricity user, with 555 stores and eight distribution centres in the country. Its renewable energy commitment has also seen it invest in other ways to reduce carbon emissions such as LED lighting and energy efficient chillers.

While Aldi acknowledges that it has trucks and a supply chain that use fossil fuels, it will keep working on ways to use renewable energy sources.

“Our commitment to only use renewable electricity is just one of many milestones we will announce as we drive towards our vision of zero carbon emissions,” Daunt added.

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