A Brooklyn Whole Foods Market has demonstrated a committment to sustainable living by installing the largest solar parking system in New York City.
Developed and funded by SunEdison, the 325kW solar system features six Solaire Generation solar parking canopies and is expected to supply around 380,000 kWh of clean energy every year, according to a Solaire press release.
"As a NYC-based solar company, we are thrilled to have completed our first installation in our hometown and to be part of such an energy-efficient grocery store," Solaire Generation CEO Laurence Mackler said in the press release. "The project demonstrates that solar can successfully be deployed within a retail parking environment and improve the customer experience."
The solar canopies will cover shoppers from the elements while generating about a quarter of the electricity needed to run the store.
The new Whole Foods location is called "Third and 3rd" after its cross-streets and has implemented other ways to stay energy-efficient and sustainable, including LED lighting in the parking lot.
The store also boasts self-generating car charging stations that use wind and solar power, a combined heat and power system and a 20,000-square-foot rooftop greenhouse.
Owned by local grocer Gotham Greens, the rooftop garden grows produce all year round to sell to Whole Foods locations throughout the city, SustainableBusiness.com reported.
Called one of the largest corporate users of renewable energy, Whole Foods plans to reduce energy consumption 25 percent per square foot by next year.
A Berkeley, Calif., Whole Foods location installed a solar electric and lighting system back in 2002, when the food retailer became the first in the country to use solar energy as the primary source of lighting, according to a press release.
In 2008, a Whole Foods in Connecticut became the first supermarket to generate most of its on-site power with a fuel cell.
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