GreenYellow, leader in the decentralized energy transition, and Carrefour, a major international player in the food retail sector, have signed an agreement to solarize the parking lots of 350 hypermarkets and supermarkets of the retail giant in France by 2027.

This 20-year contract entails the installation of photovoltaic canopies in the parking lots of 90 hypermarkets and 260 Carrefour supermarkets in France, totaling nearly 180,000 parking spaces. This project will cover key regions: Normandy, Île-de-France, Hauts-de-France, Grand Est, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie, and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

450 GWh of clean energy annually

The development phase will begin in July 2024, with the first installations scheduled for 2025. Half of the program will be completed by the end of 2026. Once finished, the project will produce 450 GWh of clean energy annually, equivalent to the electricity consumption of a city with 200,000 inhabitants.

This ambitious project positions the brand at the forefront of solarizing its assets and decarbonizing its operations, while also complying with the legal mandate to solarize parking lots under the Renewable Energy Acceleration Law. It will also help Carrefour reduce its dependence on electricity price fluctuations through the self-consumption of part of the generated electricity.

Main voices

Otmane Hajji, President of GreenYellow, expressed pride in the long-term collaboration with Carrefour, highlighting it as an unprecedented scale project. He acknowledged the trust of Alexandre Bompard and his teams, and the support from their shareholder Ardian. Hajji emphasized that this emblematic project reinforced their commitment to the energy independence transition of large French and international companies, and confirmed their position as a leader in decentralized solar self-consumption.

Mathieu Cambet, Deputy General Manager in charge of photovoltaic solar energy at GreenYellow France, noted that the program confirmed GreenYellow's longstanding leadership role in promoting self-consumption in France. He mentioned that they were now entering the operational phase, focusing on development, finalizing the selection of technical partners, and creating the global ecosystem necessary for the project's deployment.

Romain Butte, General Manager of GreenYellow France, conveyed their delight in collaborating with Carrefour. He explained that this solar partnership would significantly reduce Carrefour’s energy bill through self-consumption, contributing to the goal of achieving 100% renewable energy by 2030 and meeting the ApER Law requirements for parking lots over 1,500 m². Additionally, the photovoltaic canopies would improve the customer experience by offering protection from bad weather and the sun. Butte emphasized that this large-scale deployment in occupied sites confirmed their successful strategy in self-consumption and underscored their commitment to a greener and more sustainable future.