McDonald’s has revealed to Clean Energy News that almost all of its locations in Great Britain are powered entirely by renewable energy, with the majority supplied through power purchase agreements (PPAs).
Four different ground-mount solar developments supply energy to the fast food chain, all of which have been developed by German firm BayWa r.e. While the solar firm has sold a number of these sites, including the Homestead solar park and the Lynt Farm development, they will remain supplying MacDonald’s with 12% of its electricity requirement in Great Britain until 2035.
In addition, three wind farms will continue to supply 23% of its requirement until 2028, while a single energy from waste facility is due to provide 38% of the chain’s requirement from January 2017 for a 20 year period.
These renewable generation sites total around 73% of McDonald’s electricity requirement in Engalnd, Scotland and Wales. The company is also currently negotiating for two more wind PPAs which are estimated to provide an additional 6%.
According to the chain, the energy from these PPA deals is only supplied to locations which receive their electricity supply directly from the grid, not a third party. This accounts for over 90% of restaurants, while the remainder of the electricity is also from renewable sources but through supplier Npower’s portfolio.
The company currently has no plans to extend these PPAs further than their current period, with the first to come to an end in 12 years’ time.
In addition to its efforts to source renewable energy, McDonald’s has also committed to use less energy in its chains through energy efficiency measures. These include LED lighting, building energy management systems and waste reduction training to its staff.
