130+ Wendy’s restaurants are now running on community solar

Over 130 Wendy’s restaurants in New York, Illinois, and Massachusetts are now sourcing between 30% and 100% of their energy from community solar.

Community solar provider Ampion Renewable Energy is partnering with The Wendy’s Company to help nearly 100 company-operated restaurants and nearly 40 franchise restaurants source renewable energy.

The participating restaurants are enrolled in Ampion+, which enables community solar subscribers to access Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs).

A REC (pronounced “wreck”) represents the environmental benefits associated with one megawatt hour (MWh) of renewable energy matched with electricity usage. Corporations buy RECs to claim the clean energy generated and the corresponding environmental benefits in their ESG reports.

The 130+ Wendy’s locations have enrolled approximately 27.5 million kilowatt hours (kWh) in community solar through Ampion. This is equivalent to CO2 emissions from electricity used by over 2,200 households annually. The Ampion+ product will account for, track, and assign ownership of each kilowatt hour to a specific restaurant location via RECs.

A report from Wood Mackenzie in February estimated that cumulative community solar installations could more than double in the next five years. Earlier this year, Ampion surpassed 1 GW of community solar generation under management. 

Read more: Here’s what Americans think of local wind and solar development

Due to shifts in solar policy, renters and homeowners in many states are now able to subscribe to a local community solar farm. Community solar typically saves you 5-15% depending on where you live, it’s quick and easy to sign up (no upfront costs), and no solar panels are installed on your property.

Save money and help the environment by utilizing the EnergySage Community Solar Marketplace to explore all the solar farms available to you. They even have dedicated Energy Advisors to answer any questions you have about community solar and help you sign up. Subscribe and save here. –affiliate link*