Stop & Shop has completed the installation of solar panels on eight of its stores in Mass., Conn. and N.J., which will reduce the energy consumption at these stores by more than seven percent. This project is part of the company's commitment to reduce its carbon footprint by 20 percent by 2015, using 2008 as a baseline.
The solar panels at all eight stores will generate about 1,759,572 kWh, which will offset 1,264 metric tons of CO2 emissions. The solar project is among a series of green solutions Stop & Shop is rolling out across its 375 stores in the Northeast.
The photovoltaic (PV) solar power generating systems were developed by Alteris Renewables.
Stop & Shop is also looking at other ways to be green by installing energy-efficient lighting and refrigeration systems in stores and distribution centers. The company recently partnered with the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund to install a fuel cell at its new store in Torrington, Conn., which will provide more than 90 percent of the electricity needed to power the store.
Stop & Shop has been moving toward greener buildings since 2002.