£17.5 million solar programme
The latest investment builds on Aldi’s existing £8.4 million programme to fit solar panels at 100 additional stores during 2025 and 2026. Together, the two programmes take the supermarket’s total investment in solar power to around £26 million by 2031. The announcement did not name the stores that will receive panels.
Jonathan Neale, managing director of national real estate at Aldi UK, said: “We have plenty of space on our store roofs, so it makes sense to use it. We want solar power to become a normal part of how we run our stores, and this investment will help us bring it to even more locations over the coming years.”
He added that generating more of its own electricity would reduce the company’s reliance on the grid and make its stores more sustainable.
Part of wider energy changes
Aldi already fits solar panels on all new stores. According to its website, panels are installed on more than 400 stores and all 11 of its UK distribution centres, a total of over 100,000 panels. The company says all the electricity it buys directly comes from renewable sources, certified through the Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) scheme.
New and refurbished branches also get doors on fridges, which Aldi says cut electricity use by up to 20%, and LED lighting, which uses up to 60% less energy than older lighting. The retailer is replacing gas heating with electric systems such as air source heat pumps where possible. Aldi reported Scope 1 and 2 emissions of 81,900 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2025, 29% lower than in 2021.
Store investment continues
The solar plan is part of Aldi’s wider spending on its estate. Earlier this year, the supermarket said it would invest more than £300 million in upgrading and extending existing stores in 2026, including fitting fridge doors and switching to natural refrigerants.
The retailer is also adding stores. It plans to open 24 new branches and relocate three others across England, Scotland and Wales before Christmas, in locations including Orpington, Basildon, Dumbarton and Newport in South Wales.