Feb 6 2014
Whole Foods Market recently commissioned a 325 kW solar system featuring six Solaire Generation solar parking canopies at their new, highly sustainable grocery store in Brooklyn, NY.
Solaire Generation recently installed a 325 kW solar carport system at the new Whole Foods Market in Brooklyn, New York. (PRNewsFoto/Solaire Generation)
The solar system, developed and financed by SunEdison, will supply approximately 380,000 kWh of clean energy annually and is the largest solar parking system in New York City.
In addition to meeting 25% of the store's projected electricity needs, the solar canopies' patented dual-incline design will provide protection from sun, snow and rain for Whole Foods Market shoppers. "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," said Solaire Generation CEO Laurence Mackler. "The project demonstrates that solar can successfully be deployed within a retail parking environment and improve the customer experience."
The new store, named "Third and 3rd" for the location's cross streets in Brooklyn, is a remarkable combination of progressive initiatives in energy efficiency, sustainability and resiliency. The store sits on a remediated brownfield site along the Gowanus Canal and contains off-grid, self-generated light-emitting diode (LED) parking lot lighting, self-generating car charging stations via wind and solar power, and a combined heat and power (CHP) system. The rooftop hosts a 20,000 square foot greenhouse, built and operated by Gotham Greens, leaving no room for a traditional rooftop solar installation. Whole Foods Market and SunEdison turned to Solaire to provide a solar solution to maximize potential energy production from the parking lot.
The selected Solaire Premium F2 canopies feature an integrated storm water management system to lower the building's water use and reduce storm runoff into the Gowanus. The system collects storm water and feeds it into a 30,000-gallon tank beneath the parking lots where it is stored for filtration and non-potable reuse within the building.