Stop & Shop Installs Solar Panels at 8 Stores

Stop & Shop has completed the installation of solar panels on eight of its stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey, and expects them to reduce the amount of energy consumed by these stores by more than 7 percent.

The completion of this project marks an extension of the Quincy, Mass.-based Ahold USA’s division’s commitment to reduce its carbon footprint by 20 percent by 2015, using 2008 as a baseline. “Two years ago, we launched a store-wide refresh and brought customers new technology to simplify their lives -- hand-held devices for scanning groceries, digital kiosks for placing deli orders, and one-stop weigh stations in the produce department,” noted Faith Weiner, director of public affairs for Stop & Shop. “Now, we’re rolling out new renewable energy solutions for our stores, which enable us to conserve energy, while continuing to deliver the quality and value our shoppers expect.”

The photovotaic (PV) solar power-generating systems were developed by Albany, N.Y.-based design-build renewable energy company Alteris Renewables, Inc. The amount of electricity that will be generated by all eight stores annually is estimated to be 1,759,572 kilowatt-hours, offsetting 1,264 metric tons of CO2. This is equivalent to the CO2 emissions from the total electricity use of 153 homes over the course of a year.

The solar project is among a series of green solutions Stop & Shop is rolling out across its stores in the Northeast. Beyond solar panels, Stop & Shop has been exploring alternative ways to be green by installing energy-efficient lighting and refrigeration systems in stores and distribution centers. The company also recently teamed up with the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund to install a fuel cell at its new store in Torrington, Conn., which will provide over 90 percent of the electricity needed to power the store.

Stop & Shop operates about 375 stores throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York and New Jersey. The company is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council and has earned LEED (EB) certifications for 50 of its existing stores.