Earlier this week, Price Chopper announced its Colonie store in Albany, NY is now the first supermarket in the US providing its own on-site power supply. Using a UTC Power fuel cell system, the same to be used in the new World Trade Center, is giving the company the chance to reduce costs and environmental impact while also serving as a testing ground for future investments.
“The UTC Power fuel cell technology serves as both a primary and emergency power source at our 69,000-square-foot Colonie store location,” said Benny Smith, VP of facilities for Golub Corp., the corporate owner of Price Chopper. “With our ongoing goals of achieving greater efficiencies at our stores, we fully expect the fuel cell unit to reduce our overall utility costs as well as the store’s carbon footprint.”
Fuel cells, electrochemical devices that convert chemical energy into electricity, are something we usually associate with the movement to invest in hydrogen fuel cells to power cars. But the concept has been around since the 19th century, and development of the technology began in earnest in the 1960’s in the space program.
And Price Chopper isn’t the only company getting into the fuel cell movement. Wegmans Food Markets’ fuel cell project launch was also recently announced. The company now has a fleet of 50 hydrogen fuel cell-powered pallet trucks at its retail service center in Pottsville, Pa.
In March, the company will bring in an additional nine hydrogen fuel cell-powered forklifts. The plan it to convert all of the company’s lift trucks to hydrogen fuel cells in the coming years. To help this project go forward, the company got a $1 million grant from the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority (PEDA), which offset some of the costs involved in installing hydrogen infrastructure.
“We appreciate the investment that PEDA made in this project,” said Mike Cullen, Wegmans VP of distribution planning. “It enabled us to do something that will improve job satisfaction for our employees, benefit the environment, and is right for our business.”
At the end of the day, these investments are a direct result of the movement in American businesses to find ways to reduce costs and lessen their environmental impact. Focusing on an organization’s energy consumption is one way to make that happen, but as this USA Today report shows us, it isn’t the only way.
Target, CVS, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's all started offering discounts for each reusable bag customer’s use. L.L. Bean’s new concept store in Mansfield, Mass. features carpet and rubber for floors made from recycled materials.
But outside of sustainability and savings, retailers are also investing in this movement because it is important to consumers. In a time where dollars are tight, environmental responsibility can be the difference between winning and losing those precious dollars.
