Metro expands its solar future

AUSTRIA: Metro Austria has expanded its commitment to sustainability with the installation of one of Vienna’s largest photovoltaic systems at its Cash and Carry store in Simmering.

This latest installation follows the pledge by Metro Austria earlier this year to equip up to 11 locations with photovoltaic systems over the next few years. 

The photovoltaic system at the Simmering store boasts an area of around 10,000m² has a capacity of 600kWp and is expected to meet 40% of the store’s electricity demand.

In June, Metro Austria announced that three wholesale stores would be equipped with photovoltaic systems this year. In addition to Simmering, this would include stores in Neustadt and Klagenfurt, with further locations to follow until 2023.

Through a combination of a number of energy efficiency measures, including the conversion of refrigeration systems to natural refrigerants, Metro plans to halve its emissions from 2011 to 2030. Self-generation with photovoltaics are a significant part of those plans and the flat roofs of the Metro wholesale markets are ideal for such installations.

As part of the plans, Wien Energie, Austria’s largest energy service provider, is investing €8m in the expansion of 8MW of photovoltaic capacity. By 2030, Wien Energie will have installed a total of 600MW of photovoltaic power.

The decision follows a 6,000m² photovoltaic installation at the Metro store in St Pölten. The next installation in Klagenfurt will be around 13,000m² with an output of 850kWp. 

Metro Cash & Carry operates 12 wholesale stores in Austria with a total sales area of around 140,000m².