More than 160 solar panels installed at Shrewsbury Co-op store as business aims to reduce carbon footprint

Working in partnership with the Big Solar Co-op - a not-for-profit organisation that aims to solarise UK businesses and buildings - the Co-op store in Copthorne, Shrewsbury has seen solar panels installed that will generate 58,000 kilowatt hours each year - equating to 19 per cent of the store’s energy needs and a reduction in CO2 emissions of more than 12 tonnes per year.

The installation of the solar panels is part of a wider sustainability strategy by The Midcounties Co-operative who operate the Co-op Food store in Copthorne.

The Society, owned and operated by its 700,000 members, has partnered with the Big Solar Co-op to work towards reducing its Greenhouse Gas emissions by 40 per cent by 2026 compared to 2019 levels. 

The partnership is seeing solar panels installed across a range of Midcounties Co-operative food, travel and Childcare sites. 

Chief values officer for The Midcounties Co-operative, Pete Westall said: "We, as a Society, put sustainability at the forefront of everything we do and that’s why partnerships such as this with the Big Solar Co-op are so important for us. 

"The Your Co-op Food store in Copthorne is one of the first of our sites to benefit from the installation of solar panels and we’re looking forward to continuing working with our partners, our colleagues and our members to keep doing good together and reducing our carbon footprint even further over the coming months and years."

Noel Lambert, Community & Content Lead for the Big Solar Co-op, added: "The Your Co-op Food store in Copthorne is just one of many Midcounties Co-operative sites which will benefit from the installation of solar panels. Together, we are working to combat climate change with clean, community funded energy and putting our Big Solar co-operative values into practice with this partnership."