The Warehouse Group said that 26 of its stores and sites have switched to solar power following its agreement with Lodestone Energy.

These stores trade under The Warehouse, Warehouse Stationery, Noel Leeming and Torpedo7 banners, across Northland, Auckland and Waikato, which are now drawing 25 per cent of the power of Lodestone Energy’s 64-hectare Kaitaia solar farm.

The general merchandise retailer estimates that the recent switch to solar power will reduce its Scope 2 emissions by at least 808 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, in line with the target to reach zero emissions in operations by 2040.

The company aims to transition more than 250 sites nationwide to solar power by the end of 2026 under the agreement.

“Going solar has been an important ambition for us to achieve across our store network. We challenge ourselves with something we call ‘The Tomorrow Test’ – which helps us take action to make improvements in both big and little ways, to be a more sustainable business,” said The Warehouse Group CEO Nick Grayston.

The Kaitaia Solar Farm is expected to produce about 55GWh annually, enough to power about 7770 households.