Auchan: Higher Energy Efficiency with Solar Panels

The retail chain Auchan Hungary and Nhood Hungary, which manages the Auchan shopping centers, will install solar panels worth EUR 20 million on the roofs of their buildings to increase the energy efficiency of their properties, the companies informed MTI on Tuesday.

The investment started in the second half of 2022, as a result of which solar power plants are already operating in 14 stores, while solar panels will be connected in the other hypermarkets and logistics centers in the next six months. The solar panels installed on Auchan buildings can produce enough electricity per year to cover the annual electricity consumption of a town of 20,000 inhabitants, they said.

The statement recalled that the European Union aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by 2030 and to source at least 27% of the energy used from renewable sources. As buildings account for almost half of the energy consumed in Europe, both retail and real estate services companies have a key role to play in achieving these targets, they said.

In this context, Auchan's sustainability target is to reduce carbon emissions from store operations by 46% and emissions from the product life cycle and transport by 25 % by 2030. The long-term goal of Nhood, which manages Auchan stores, is for its properties to achieve net zero emissions by 2040, they said.