Drugstore chain giant Walgreens has announced its intention to build what the company believes will be the first net zero retail store in the United States. Once open for business, engineers anticipate that the combination of solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal technology, energy-efficient building materials, LED lighting and ultra-high-efficiency refrigeration will allow the new store to produce energy equal to or greater than it consumes.
Walgreens already has a number of green technology achievements under its belt. Of its 8,000 or so stores throughout the nation, 150 make use of solar power generation, there's one in Oak Park (IL) that's using a geothermal system and another in Texas that harnesses energy from the wind. Some 400 of its stores offer electric vehicle charging, and 15 Walgreens distribution centers generate more revenue from recycling than they spend on dealing with waste.
The company also runs two gold status LEED certified stores, and aims to have the new net zero store achieve LEED Platinum certification.
Located in Evanston (IL), at the intersection of Chicago Avenue and Keeney Street, the new store will replace an existing Walgreens outlet that's currently undergoing demolition. The company says that it will be constructed using energy efficient building materials, have more than 800 roof-top solar panels, two wind turbines, and will tap into geothermal energy 550 feet (167 meters) below the store to heat or cool the establishment in winter and summer.
Walgreens estimates that the new store will use 200,000 kWh of electricity per year, while generating 256,000 kWh over the same period. The company is hoping that the new store will achieve net zero status within two years.
Source: Walgreens
You think just because Walgreens has not taken on a huge debt load to simultaneously modify all their outlets to brag worthy eco status means that Walgreens isn't lowering their environmental impact corporation wide.
Bankruptcy that's green. Not.
I have an off grid solar panel for powering a small fridge and use about 1000kWh of gas for heating/hot water. 90% of my waste is recycled, even food, by the council via different bins.
The plain truth is that not one single non-petroleum fuel/alternative energy source is economically scalable - yet. All of it is in the incubator phase.
Will so called "green energy" get there? Yes. When it overcomes the economic barriers to entry that still exist.
Guess what? WE skeptics are just as tired of the euphoric over-simplifications being held up as practical as are YOU evangelists are tired of the constant hole-poking.
The result of this yin & yang will be the ultimate success of alternative energy. It is always the same with every advancement since the dawn of man. So relax, take the constructive criticism at face value (and ignore the assholes) and keep striving for the winning formula. When that happens, the skeptics will be opening their wallets faster than you can count the money....
Will so called "green energy" get there? Yes. When it overcomes the economic barriers to entry that still exist." .....................
Yopp.
Hopefully NG will get so cheap like it did at Ericcson's showing of his solar stirling at the world expo (I think Tesla and Edison were there too) that the 'corporate ' welfare for Oil and Gas should end soon. (1800's wasn't quite the death of solar)
Biggest part of the economics is life cycle- we're still stuck at less than a lifetime and a few of the alternatives could be multi-generational in lifespan.