Coles and Origin Energy have inked an agreement under which the companies will co-invest in renewable energy battery assets at up to 100 Coles stores across Australia.
Coles plans to install 20 megawatts of solar panels on top of 100 supermarkets and liquor stores nationwide over the next three years, with batteries built at one-third of the stores to absorb and store extra renewable energy generated on-site.
Coles’ rooftop solar, batteries, and energy assets, including in-store heating, cooling, and refrigeration systems, will be linked to Origin’s virtual power plant to assist in relieving strain on the energy grid during peak demand periods.
Coles and Origin’s partnership seeks to lower each participating store’s power demand from the grid by roughly 20% on average and to assist Coles in meeting its 100% renewable electricity targets by June 2025.
Solar panel installation is currently ongoing at six Victorian stores, with installation at all 100 Coles supermarkets, Vintage Cellars, Liquorland, and First Choice Liquor Market stores planned to be finished by 2026.
Coles Head of Energy Jane Mansfield stated that the partnership would assist the retailer in lowering emissions, reducing grid power use, and lowering operational costs, with 20 locations expected to be finished by next year.
“Not only will this investment in renewables help us reduce our emissions, it will also lower our operational costs and allow us to meet more of our energy needs from our own on-site solar generation,” Mansfield said.
Origin Zero is the division of Origin that works with big corporations such as Coles to satisfy their energy demands and support them on their path to net zero using solutions like solar, batteries, energy efficiency, EVs, and demand management.
Origin Zero Executive General Manager James Magill stated that the company is excited to partner with Coles to help the company migrate to greener and smarter energy solutions.
“This is a landmark alliance between two of Australia’s leading retailers across supermarkets and energy which will see the companies co-invest in renewable energy and battery assets to help deliver greater emissions reductions for Coles,” Magill said.
“This also marks Origin’s largest customer aggregation agreement providing Frequency Control Ancillary Services (FCAS), allowing us to orchestrate 10MW of flexible energy use across heating, cooling and refrigeration assets at select Coles stores, which helps to support stable and safe operations of the grid,” he added.
The announcement builds on the solar panels Coles has previously put in 87 of its shops throughout Australia. Coles’ other cleaner energy measures to cut emissions include electrifying gas assets, testing an electric delivery truck, and procuring renewable energy from wind and solar farms around the country.
