Ampion partners with The Wendy’s Company and its franchisees to source renewable energy and reduce carbon emissions

With Ampion+, Wendy’s will have access to Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), which are Green-e® Energy certified to the strictest environmental and consumer protection standards in North America.

BOSTON — Community solar energy provider Ampion Renewable Energy is partnering with The Wendy’s Company (Nasdaq: WEN) to help Wendy’s® restaurants leverage renewable energy. Nearly 100 company-operated restaurants and nearly 40 franchised restaurants in New York, Illinois and Massachusetts are now enrolled in Ampion+, a product that helps organizations reduce energy costs and earn Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), which demonstrate their use of renewable energy and greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

Restaurants that sign up will get 30% to 100% of their energy from the sun without having to install solar panels on-site. Wendy’s plans to expand the number of restaurants that sign up for the community solar through Ampion as additional solar capacity becomes available and more franchise restaurants sign up for the program. Participating in community solar projects like these helps generate and deliver renewable electricity to local power grids, reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

“We are excited about the opportunity this partnership presents to our company and franchise restaurant operators to make it easier and more accessible to source clean energy while ultimately realizing cost savings,” said Steven Derwoed, vice president of global design and construction for Wendy’s. “We are moving toward our emissions reduction goals through community participation in solar and RECs. This is a win-win for the company and our franchisees.”

Last year, Wendy’s set near-term science-based goals 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 area of ​​focus for Wendy’s in achieving these emissions reduction goals.

Through Ampion, Wendy’s locations have saved approximately 27.5 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of community solar energy. This is equivalent to the CO2 emissions from the electricity used by more than 2,200 homes in one year. Each kilowatt-hour will be billed, tracked and attributed to a specific restaurant location via REC in the Ampion+ product.

“As the need to reduce carbon emissions grows, community solar combined with RECs provides a solution to corporate environmental sustainability that is both achievable and affordable, while also enabling companies to quantify and disclose progress in a standardized manner,” said Nate Owen, CEO and Founder of Ampion. “We see more and more large companies actively pursuing sustainable solutions through community solar. This partnership with Wendy’s demonstrates Ampion’s ability to support these organizations in reducing emissions and bringing more renewable energy to the grid for their local communities.”

RECs represent the environmental benefits of one megawatt-hour (MWh) of renewable energy compared to electricity consumption. Corporations purchase RECs to take responsibility for the clean energy they generate and the corresponding environmental benefits in their ESG reports. However, purchasing and budgeting for RECs can be a challenge for most companies.

“Accounting and organizational constraints often prevent companies from purchasing the RECs they need to meet their ESG goals,” said Vihann Kong, Senior Executive Director at Ampion. “Our innovative Ampion+ product addresses these challenges by combining community solar and RECs in a single transaction. We are proud to help The Wendy’s Company and its franchisees reduce their carbon footprint while saving money on their bottom line.”

The partnership comes as community solar continues to grow. A recent report from Wood Mackenzie, a leading global provider of data and analytics solutions for the renewables, energy and natural resources sectors, estimates that the total number of community 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, partnering with the nation’s largest clean energy asset owners and developers. Ampion offers businesses a one-stop shop to improve their sustainability with community solar. By connecting residents and businesses with local solar farms, Ampion increases sustainability in communities and supports local economies. Ampion+ is a Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) product and does not include electricity.

Learn more at ampion.net.

About Wendy’s:

Wendy’s was founded in 1969 by Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio. Dave built his company on the tenet of “Quality is Our Recipe®,” which remains the guiding principle of the Wendy’s system. Wendy’s is best known for its made-to-order square hamburgers, made with fresh, never frozen beef*, freshly prepared salads, and other signature items like chili, baked potatoes, and Frosty® desserts. 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 evident 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, permanent 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 in more than 7,000 restaurants worldwide with a vision of becoming the most successful and beloved restaurant brand in the world. For franchising information, contact us at www.wendys.com/franchising.

Visit www.wendys.com AND www.squaredealblog.com for more information and to connect with us on X and Instagram using @wendys and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wendys.

*Fresh beef available in the continental United States, Alaska and Canada.

About Green-e®:

Center for Resource Solutions administers the Green-e® Energy program, a trusted global leader in clean energy certification and carbon offsets. 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 supply chain of certified renewable energy from generation to retirement to ensure that individuals and businesses get exactly what they paid for. For more information, visit green-e.org/certified-resources.