Page 35 - HW November 2020

global eyes
Poles get plants
for recycling old electricals
Home Depot buys in
renewable energy
Bunnings ANZ’s ramping up of its energy outlook is right on trend, having just announced major renewable energy goals for the next five years (see page 6 for details).
In the US, for example, having broken ground on a substantial photovoltaic- plus-storage project in Texas, Italian renewable power company Enel Green Power (EGP) says it will be selling no less than a third of the array’s electricity production to Home Depot.
Comprising almost 700,000 photovoltaic panels delivering 284 MW, the Azure Sky Solar + Storage project also incorporates an 81 MW battery.
Expected to be operational by summer 2021, the new project will generate 586 gigawatt hours (GWh)
of energy annually, which will power
the grid and charge a battery stored in the same facility, thus avoiding annual emissions of over 386,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
The Azure Sky development is EGP’s second in the US and will hive off 75MW of electricity to the DIY chain, said to be enough to power some 150 of its big box stores.
Although this agreement is the retailer’s largest renewable energy partnership to date, from Home Depot’s perspective this is a bit less than a quarter of its stated goal to make or purchase 335MW from alternate energy projects by 2025.
This isn’t The Home Depot’s first green partnership for renewable energy. In 2017, the company purchased enough wind energy to power 100 Home Depot stores from EDP Renewables North America.
Despite having so many massive
roofs across its network to work with, it’s interesting that Home Depot hasn’t been keen to cover them with PV arrays, citing concerns about the cost of removal and reinstallation when re-roofing.
www.enelgreenpower.com
KINGFISHER GROUP’S POLISH Castorama network is helping its customers dispose of old electrical appliances with an interesting take-back scheme.
All electrical and battery-operated items – such as washing machines, refrigerators, phones, power tools, kitchen appliances and computers – are included, no matter where they were bought.
The unique aspect of all this is that customers receive heather plants in return!
Due to its popularity in previous years, Castorama has expanded the scheme to all of its 82 stores this year and expects to give out no less than 400,000 plants in return for its customers’ old appliances.
www.kingfisher.com
Mitre 10 Australia plays up community connections
SEEKING TO PLAY up its history, the longevity of its members and the strength of their local connections, Mitre 10 Australia has kicked off what it’s calling the “Built by Families” series of videos.
Introduced by high profile brand ambassador, Scott Cam, IHG’s General Manager of Marketing, Karen Fahey, says the series aims to invite consumers to understand what the Mitre 10 brand stands for.
“We are so proud to tell the stories of the local and incredibly generous families in our network. The people within our stores are the real brand champions and this is one way we can give them a voice.
“‘Built by Families’ aims to demonstrate how family-owned businesses engage and support their communities.
“It invites Australian consumers into the lives of these families stirring emotions and building relatability.
“There’s nothing superficial or
contrived about the stories. Just genuine tales told by authentic people in communities across Australia.”
The video series begins with three businesses, the Hitchins family in Moe VIC, the Hastings and Benton family in Diamond Creek VIC, followed by the Johnson family in Mona Vale NSW.
www.mitre10.com.au
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NOVEMBER 2020 | NZHJ 33