Ampion Partners with The Wendy’s Company and its Franchisees to Source Renewable Energy, Reduce Carbon Emissions
27 Junio 2024 - 5:00AM
Business Wire
- Over 130 Wendy’s Company and franchise locations are enrolled
in community solar and Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) with
Ampion.
- The partnership brings more than 27 million kWh of renewable
energy to local grids in New York, Illinois, and
Massachusetts.
- Through Ampion+, Wendy’s will access Renewable Energy
Certificates (RECs) that are Green-e® Energy certified to meet the
most stringent environmental and consumer protection standards in
North America.
Community solar provider Ampion Renewable Energy is partnering
with The Wendy’s Company (Nasdaq: WEN) to help Wendy’s® restaurants
source renewable energy. Nearly 100 company-operated restaurants
and nearly 40 franchise restaurants in New York, Illinois, and
Massachusetts are now enrolled in Ampion+, a product that helps
organizations reduce energy costs and secure Renewable Energy
Certificates (RECs) that substantiate the use of renewable energy
and greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
The enrolled restaurants will source between 30% and 100% of
their energy from solar without the need to install solar panels
onsite. Wendy’s plans to increase the number of restaurants
enrolled in community solar through Ampion as additional solar
generation capacity comes online and more franchise restaurants
enroll in the program. Participation in such community solar
projects helps generate and supply renewable electricity to local
utility grids, reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
“We are excited about the opportunity this partnership provides
our Company and franchise restaurant operators by making it easier
and more accessible to source clean energy while ultimately
realizing cost savings,” said Steven Derwoed, Vice President,
Global Design & Construction at Wendy’s. “We are advancing
progress toward our emissions reduction goals through community
solar participation and RECs. It’s a win-win for the Company and
our franchisees.”
Last year, Wendy’s set near-term science-based targets to reduce
absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 47%, and Scope 3 emissions from
franchisees by 47% per restaurant by 2030, both from a 2019
baseline. Sourcing renewable energy is a key focus area for Wendy’s
in achieving these emissions reduction goals.
Through Ampion, Wendy’s locations have enrolled approximately
27.5 million kilowatt hours (kWh) in community solar. This is
equivalent to CO2 emissions from the electricity used by over 2,200
homes for one year. Each kilowatt hour will be accounted for,
tracked, and assigned ownership to a specific restaurant location
via RECs through the Ampion+ product.
"As the need for reducing carbon emissions grows, community
solar combined with RECs provides a solution for environmental
sustainability in the corporate sector that is both achievable and
affordable, while enabling companies to quantify and disclose their
progress in a standardized manner," said Nate Owen, CEO and Founder
of Ampion. “We’re seeing more large companies actively seeking
sustainable solutions through community solar. This partnership
with Wendy’s demonstrates that Ampion is able to support these
organizations in reducing emissions and putting more renewable
energy on the grid for local communities.”
A REC represents the environmental benefits associated with one
megawatt hour (MWh) of renewable energy matched with electricity
usage. Corporations buy RECs to claim responsibility for the clean
energy generated and the corresponding environmental benefits in
their ESG reports. However, purchasing and budgeting for RECs can
pose challenges for most companies.
“Accounting and organizational constraints often prohibit
enterprises from buying RECs needed to attain their ESG goals,”
said Vihann Kong, Senior Executive Director at Ampion. “Our
innovative Ampion+ product addresses these roadblocks by combining
community solar and RECs in one transaction. We’re proud to help
The Wendy’s Company and franchisees lower their carbon emissions
while saving on their bottom line.”
This partnership comes as community solar is continuing to trend
upward. A recent report from Wood Mackenzie, the leading global
provider of data and analytics solutions for the renewables, energy
and natural resources sectors, estimates 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.
About Ampion:
Ampion is a public benefit corporation that provides community
solar and other sustainability solutions to energy consumers of all
sizes, working in tandem with the country's largest clean energy
asset owners and developers. Ampion offers enterprise companies a
one stop shop to improve their sustainability with community solar.
By connecting residents and businesses to local solar farms, Ampion
boosts sustainability in communities and supports local economies.
Ampion+ is a Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) product and does
not contain electricity.
Learn more at ampion.net.
About Wendy's:
Wendy's was founded in 1969 by Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio.
Dave built his business on the premise, "Quality is our Recipe®,"
which remains the guidepost of the Wendy's system. Wendy's is best
known for its made-to-order square hamburgers, using fresh, never
frozen beef*, freshly-prepared salads, and other signature items
like chili, baked potatoes and the Frosty® dessert. The Wendy's
Company (Nasdaq: WEN) is committed to doing the right thing
and making a positive difference in the lives of others. This is
most visible through the Company's support of the Dave Thomas
Foundation for Adoption® and its signature Wendy's Wonderful Kids®
program, which seeks to find a loving, forever home for every child
waiting to be adopted from the North American foster care system.
Today, Wendy's and its franchisees employ hundreds of thousands of
people across over 7,000 restaurants worldwide with a vision of
becoming the world's most thriving and beloved restaurant brand.
For details on franchising, connect with us at
www.wendys.com/franchising.
Visit www.wendys.com and www.squaredealblog.com
for more information and connect with us on X and Instagram using
@wendys, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wendys.
*Fresh beef available in the contiguous U.S., Alaska, and
Canada.
About Green-e®:
The Center for Resource Solutions administers the Green-e®
Energy program, which is the trusted global leader in clean energy
and carbon offset certification. They make it easy for businesses
and individuals to purchase verified clean energy with confidence,
and for consumers to choose sustainable products and services.
Their staff verifies the entire chain of custody of certified
renewable energy from generation to retirement to ensure
individuals and businesses are getting exactly what they paid for.
For more information, see green-e.org/certified-resources.
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Technica Communications Melanie Morris ampion@technica.inc