by Shane Henson — January 3, 2014—Citizens living near Walgreens’ new retail store in Evanston, Illinois, may be pleasantly surprised to find that they not only have a new place to shop for their everyday household and health needs, but one that is good for the community and the environment, as well.
According to Walgreens, the new store will produce energy equal to or greater than it consumes, becoming what the company believes is the nation’s first net-zero-energy retail store. To accomplish this, the store was built with the following technologies:
- Nearly 850 rooftop solar panels, generating enough energy to power 30 Illinois homes for a year;
- Two 35-foot-tall wind turbines, using Lake Michigan breezes to generate enough power to offset annual greenhouse gas emissions from 2.2 passenger vehicles;
- Geothermal energy obtained by drilling 550 feet into the ground below the store, where temperatures are more constant and can be tapped to heat or cool the store in winter and summer;
- LED lighting and daylight harvesting;
- Carbon dioxide refrigerant for heating, cooling and refrigeration equipment; and energy-efficient building materials.
The company reports this is the first time it has combined three renewable energy sources—solar, wind and geothermal—in a single store. Engineering estimates—which can vary due to factors such as weather, store operations and systems performance—indicate that the store will use 200,000 kilowatt hours per year of electricity while generating 220,000 kilowatt hours per year, Walgreens says.
Commenting on the new store, Thomas Connolly, Walgreens vice president of facilities development, said, “We are investing in a net-zero-energy store so we can bring what we learn to our other stores and share what we learn with other companies. Because we operate more than 8,000 stores, anything we do that reduces our carbon footprint can have a broad, positive impact on the nation’s environment.”
According to Walgreens, the store is seeking LEED Platinum certification through the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program and Net Zero Certification through the Living Building Challenge, and has received GreenChill Platinum certification through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The GreenChill Store Certification Program was designed for supermarkets, and this is the first time a GreenChill certification is being awarded to a small-format store, such as a convenience store or pharmacy, notes Walgreens.
For more information on Walgreens’ Environmental Sustainability initiatives, visit the company’s Web site.
