Whole Foods Store Powers Up Fuel Cell Style > Fuel Cell Dispatch

Whole Foods Store Powers Up Fuel Cell Style

Whole Foods may not be whole-hog into hydrogen fuel cells just yet, but the mega organic grocer certainly seems to be headed in that direction. UTC Power recently announced that it will be providing a fuel cell for Whole Foods Market’s fourth hydrogen-powered location, a new store in Fairfield, Connecticut.

This 400 kilowatt PureCell System Model 400 fuel cell is expected to generate 90 percent of the store’s electricity needs, with its byproduct thermal energy put to work in heating, cooling and refrigeration for the store. The installation marks the second Whole Foods Market in Connecticut and the fourth Whole Foods Market in the United States to install a UTC Power fuel cell.

By generating most of its power on-site with this tech, the store will prevent the release of more than 847 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, and nitrogen oxide emissions equal to removing more than 100 cars from the road. In addition to the reductions in greenhouse gases, this fuel call will also allow Whole Foods Market to save nearly 3.5 million gallons of water annually; unlike central generation and other forms of fuel cell tech, the PureCell system is designed to operate without consuming water.

The installation of this fuel cell will be supported with a grant from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund through its On-Site Renewable Distributed Generation Program.

Source: Susan DeFreitas, EarthTechling