Mercadona's logistics block in Abrera (Barcelona) has been selected by the company to install the chain's largest photovoltaic plant. The installation of 16,500 solar panels on the roof of the block has involved an investment of seven million euros.
The installation will prevent the emission of 1,270 tons of CO2 per year, with an installed capacity of eight megawatts. The photovoltaic plant will produce 25% of the annual energy demand of the logistics block, which occupies a plot of 200,000 square meters, and which involved an investment of 300 million euros to open ten years ago.
With the power generated by this installation, Mercadona will reach 100 megawatts of renewable energy across the entire chain, equivalent to the annual consumption of 40,000 homes. With this energy produced, the company will avoid the emission of 16,000 tons of CO2 per year, an amount comparable to that neutralized by 350,000 trees. Translated to Mercadona's activity, the current installed capacity will save energy equivalent to the accumulated annual consumption of more than 125 supermarkets.
To achieve these figures, Mercadona embarked on its sustainable energy plan in 2020, through which it has invested more than 75 million euros in the installation of solar panels. In total, with this investment, it has installed some 200,000 solar modules, which will produce 6% of the energy consumed throughout the supermarket chain.
Currently, more than 400 supermarkets out of the 1,660 that the chain has, have solar panels installed on their roofs. Eight of the chain's 23 logistics blocks and warehouses also generate photovoltaic energy, in addition to its central offices in the Valencian municipality of Albalat dels Sorells. Over the next few years, the company plans to continue working in this direction until it reaches a photovoltaic capacity of 250 megawatts, which would represent a self-consumption capacity of 15% of the energy consumed annually.