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 New Supermarket is First Ever to Employ On-Site Fuel Cell Technology with the PureCell® Model 200 Fuel Cell Powerplant
Whole Foods Market is helping to keep things the way nature intended
Whole Foods Market is the world’s leading retailer of natural and organic foods, with more than 270 stores throughout North America, Canada, and the United Kingdom. It is also greatly concerned with the natural state of our environment.
By installing a PureCell® Model 200 powerplant in its new 46,000-square-foot store in Glastonbury, Connecticut, Whole Foods Market will generate 50 percent of the electricity and heat and nearly 100 percent of the hot water needed to operate the store on-site.
“In New England, and especially Connecticut, we’re well aware of electricity grid constraints. To be able to mitigate those constraints ensures reliability for all consumers of electricity and to be able to do that with clean, alternative on-site generation is the best option. Together with UTC Power and the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, we’ve designed a combined cooling, heating and power system for our new Glastonbury store using a quiet, highly energy-efficient fuel cell that also will reduce our carbon footprint dramatically.”
Kathy Loftus
Global Energy Coordinator, Whole Foods Market
It’s all about doing more with less. More than half of the energy potential in traditional power generation goes up the stack as waste heat. In contrast, the UTC Power fuel cell converts heat exhaust into heating and cooling, turning potential waste into usable energy. While central power plants achieve conversion percentages in the lower 30s, UTC Power solutions can attain energy conversion efficiencies up to 90 percent. High system efficiencies translate into greater fuel utilization, thereby contributing to the conservation of natural resources and energy.
“Our UTC Power PureCell® system provides Whole Foods Market with enhanced energy security and will ensure a reliable food supply for customers and protect against costly food spoilage if the power grid goes down.”
Jan van Dokkum
President, UTC Power
In addition, the PureCell® system delivers power security and reliability. More than $90 billion is lost each year in the United States alone as the result of power outages. The fuel cell system at Whole Foods Market in Glastonbury will be configured for grid-independent operation and is capable of providing 200kW of standby power if there’s a grid failure which will enable the store to operate without disruption.
Whole Foods Market is proving that sustainability makes economic sense. While reducing its carbon footprint, it’s also conserving natural resources. The UTC Power fuel cell will reduce the store's carbon footprint by 90 metric tons each year.* To achieve the same positive environmental impact, 21 acres of forest would need to be planted.**
The power generated by a megawatt of fuel cells saves over 4 million gallons of water each year*** that would otherwise be wasted by conventional electrical generation. That’s enough water to fill more than 6 Olympic-size swimming pools. Water conservation is especially important as humanity battles to conserve precious water resources.
Reduction of harmful emissions like nitrogen oxides (NOx), is yet another environmental benefit of fuel cell technology. NOx emissions will be reduced at Whole Foods Market by almost 2 metric tons each year, which equates to the same environmental benefit as removing 100 cars**** from the road.
* Based on New England electric grid information (NEWE). ** Each acre of forest assumed to absorb 1.3 ton of carbon per year (Ref: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change).
*** Based on the average use of 500 gal/MWhr of power generation plants in the U.S. (Ref: U.S. Geological Survey).
**** Each car assumed to generate 38 lb NOx/year (Ref: U.S. EPA). | 
