Swift reaches 100 stores with solar power generation on roofs
Swift, a JBS business that is a reference in frozen foods, reaches the milestone of 100 stores with photovoltaic solar panels installed on the roofs of its units. The result is part of the company's strategy so that, by 2025, 100% of the electricity consumption of its street establishments will be supplied by renewable and clean energy sources. The innovative initiative in Brazilian retail is developed in partnership with Âmbar Energia, J&F Investments Energy Solutions Company.
"Reaching this important milestone of 100 stores with solar roofs strengthens Swift's sustainability agenda, and reduces the carbon footprint of our operations. In line with our commitment to preserving the environment, Swift has been advancing in the use of clean and renewable energy, in its own stores and mobile units (vans), since 2019", highlights the Financial Director and responsible for Sustainability programs at Swift, Raphael Jacob.
In all, 4,801 solar panels have already been installed on the roofs of Swift stores, occupying an area of 20,000 square meters. Together, the photovoltaic systems add up to an installed capacity of 2.3 Megawatt-peak (MWp), enough to supply electricity for 250 families. In 2022, solar roofs produced 1.019 million kWh, avoiding the emission of 643.251 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). This is equivalent to planting 922 trees per year.
By prioritizing the solar solution in its operations, Swift reduces so-called "scope 2" carbon emissions, related to electricity consumption, and reinforces its alignment with JBS’s commitment to become Net Zero by 2040, which aims to zero the net balance of all the Company's greenhouse gas emissions. "The installation of Swift's solar roofs adds to a series of initiatives that we are developing to bring more sustainability and efficiency to our operations, in line with our commitment to be Net Zero", says the Director of Sustainability at JBS in Brazil, Mauricio Bauer.
Currently, Swift has establishments for the sale of its products in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Goiás and the Federal District.
In addition to the 100 establishments with their own generation through solar panels on the roofs, Swift stores are also supplied by solar farms. Currently, 45 units of the brand receive energy from photovoltaic plants (UFV), such as UFV Âmbar Porto Feliz and UFV Âmbar Saltinho, in the interior of São Paulo, and the UFV installed in the distribution center of Flora, a hygiene and cosmetics company by J&F, projects by Âmbar Energia. So far, Âmbar has already invested BRL 50 million in Swift's solar energy projects, out of a total of BRL 105 million.
Since 2021, Âmbar has been diversifying its operations and expanding investments in photovoltaic energy. "With the demand from major partners such as JBS and the potential for generating photovoltaic energy in Brazil, we decided that this source would be a priority in our expansion plan", says the company's president, Marcelo Zanatta. The development and management of energy solutions, as in the project with Swift, is one of the company's main growth fronts. Âmbar also operates natural gas-fired power generation plants, among other businesses.
The roofs and solar farms that supply Swift stores add up to 5.7 MWp of installed capacity, enough to supply 11% of the energy consumed by the establishments. Currently, the emission avoided by these projects is 2,531 thousand tons of CO2 per year, a volume that is equivalent to planting 3,772 thousand trees per year.
Swift's 40 mobile stores, which are vans to serve residential condominiums, are also equipped with solar panels to supply the vehicles' electrical power, as well as refrigerators and other components. In addition to the use of renewable energy, Swift's establishments bring together a series of initiatives to make their operations more sustainable. To reduce energy consumption, each unit has low energy consumption refrigerators with CO2 emissions up to 44% lower than traditional models.
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