The Wendy’s Microgrid: Beefing up Fast Food with On-Site Solar and Battery Storage
A Wendy’s restaurant location in Wasco, Calif. will soon be pouring Frosty Treats and slinging its classic burgers and fries with electricity generated by a solar-enabled microgrid.
SolMicroGrid will deploy, own and operate the solar PV and on-site battery energy storage system under an energy-as-a-service (EaaS) agreement with franchise operator Dependable Foods.
EaaS agreements allow commercial and industrial companies to integrate renewable energy into their operations without upfront capital investments. The developer typically retains ownership of the microgrid and its components, operating and maintaining the system for the duration of the agreement. The developer sells the energy generated by the system to the host at a reduced rate.
"This project represents a major step forward in advancing clean energy solutions for the quick service restaurant industry,” said Kirk Edelman, CEO of SolMicroGrid. "By integrating sustainable, distributed energy resources at the local level, we’re helping Wendy’s reduce energy costs at its restaurants. This is just the beginning of what’s possible as we work together to redefine how businesses efficiently power their facilities."
The grid-connected microgrid can net meter power back to utility, but also provides the quick-service restaurant with energy resiliency, allowing it to continue to serve the community even when there is a grid outage.
Quick service restaurants embrace green energy
Founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1969 by Dave Thomas, there are now more than 7,000 franchised and company-owned Wendy’s locations around the globe.
In recent years, the company has committed to a 47% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions and a 55% reduction in Scope 3 emissions at each of its franchised restaurants by 2030. The renewable energy microgrid is but one strategy the company is employing to meet these goals.
Last year, Wendy’s partnered with community solar provider Ampion Renewable Energy to help its New York, Illinois and Massachusetts restaurants power operations with renewable energy resources. More than 130 locations have enrolled in the program.
"Partnering with SolMicroGrid to install a microgrid system at our restaurant is a game-changer for us,” said Ron Dhillon, Wendy’s franchisee and CEO of Dependable Foods. “This energy-as-a-service agreement allows us to reduce energy costs and improve sustainability—without any upfront expenses.”
Wendy’s is not the only quick service restaurant (QSR) chain embracing renewable energy microgrids.
SolMicroGrid has completed similar installations at Chick-fil-A restaurants in Santa Rosa and Stockton, California, in recent years. The Stockton microgrid provides much of the location’s daily power needs, reducing energy costs and helping the local owners reach corporate sustainability goals.
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