Walgreens announced plans last week to build one of the nation's first net-zero retail stores. The Evanston, Ill., location will utilize solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal technology, LED lighting and ultra-high-efficiency refrigeration to produce energy equal to or greater than the building consumes.
The Chicago-area location will allow convenient access for Walgreens engineers based at the company’s headquarters in Deerfield, Ill., to measure the store’s performance for an entire year to determine if the store reaches its goal of net zero energy use.
Walgreens plans to generate electricity and reduce its usage by more than 40 percent through several technologies in the store including:
- more than 800 roof-top solar panels
- two wind turbines
- 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
- energy efficient building materials.
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 256,000 kilowatt hours per year.
Over the past year, Walgreens engineers have worked with the city of Evanston and vendors, including Trane, CREE Lighting, Acuity Lighting, Cooper Lighting, CalStar Products, GE Lighting, Geothermal International, SoCore Energy, Wing Power and Camburas and Theodore Architects.
(http://news.walgreens.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=5717)
Related Stories
| Aug 12, 2013
Decade-long renovation of Kansas Capitol Building expected to be complete by year end
A $300 million-plus, decade-long renovation of the Kansas Capitol Building in Topeka is expected to be complete by the end of the year. The exterior refurbishing of copper over the four imposing wings and around the dome should be complete by late November.
| Aug 12, 2013
New York’s first net-zero school will be a sustainability lab for city school system
An elementary school on Staten Island will be the first net-zero energy school in New York City and the Northeast. The school is designed to use half the energy of a typical New York public school. Construction will be completed in 2015.
| Aug 8, 2013
Energy research animates science sector [2013 Giants 300 Report]
After an era of biology-oriented spending—largely driven by Big Pharma and government concerns about bioterrorism—climate change is reshaping priorities in science and technology construction.
| Aug 8, 2013
Top Science and Technology Sector Engineering Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Affiliated Engineers, Middough, URS top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest science and technology sector engineering and engineering/architecture firms in the U.S.
| Aug 8, 2013
Top Science and Technology Sector Architecture Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
HDR, Perkins+Will, HOK top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest science and technology sector architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the U.S.
| Aug 8, 2013
Top Science and Technology Sector Construction Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Skanska, DPR, Suffolk top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest science and technology sector contractors and construction management firms in the U.S.
| Aug 8, 2013
Level of Development: Will a new standard bring clarity to BIM model detail?
The newly released LOD Specification document allows Building Teams to understand exactly what’s in the BIM model they’re being handed.
| Aug 8, 2013
Blueprint for a boom town: Potential pitfalls for booming development
Accolades for Nashville, Tenn., my hometown and GS&P’s flagship location, just keep piling up. In 2011, Forbes named Nashville No. 3 on their list of “The Next Big Boom Towns in the U.S." All of these accolades are wonderful, but Nashville now must work hard to prove their longevity—to grow and build intelligently.
| Aug 8, 2013
Does billing by the hour still make sense?
What’s an idea really worth? That’s the question posed by The New York Times in a provocative article that explores whether the notion of billing time still makes economic sense.
| Aug 8, 2013
Vertegy spins off to form independent green consultancy
St. Louis-based Vertegy has announced the formation of Vertegy, LLC, transitioning into an independent company separate from the Alberici Enterprise. The new company was officially unveiled Aug. 1, 2013
