Walgreens starts construction on net zero energy store

Walgreens has started building its experimental “net zero energy store” building just north of Chicago.

The company hopes it will produce more energy than it consumes as alternative energy equipment at the store is under construction in Evanston, Ill. A report said the store plans include more than 800 solar panels on the roof, two 35-foot wind turbines and a geothermal energy system dug hundreds of feet beneath the foundation.

It is estimated the net zero store will use about 200,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity, while it generates 256,000 kilowatt-hours over a year.

Some experts say that if Walgreen can pull this net zero energy store off, other retailers will follow suit.

The cost of the store is estimated to be about twice that of a typical store, which uses bricks from a Racine, Wis., company that doesn’t fire its masonry products so less CO2 is produced.

The store will be completed by Thanksgiving, and Walgreens is looking to get the United States Green Building Council’s LEED Platinum status, the highest designation available.

To read more, go here.