Fuel cell to generate power at Whole Foods supermarket

GLASTONBURY, Conn.—A Whole Foods Market in Glastonbury due to open Wednesday will be generating most of its power onsite with a fuel cell, the store said Monday.

Using the UTC Power fuel cell, the 46,000-square-foot store will generate 50 percent of the electricity and heat and nearly all the hot water needed to operate the store, the two companies said.

The technology, which draws energy from a chemical reaction when hydrogen combines with oxygen to form water, is more commonly seen in futuristic cars equipped with tanks of hydrogen instead of gasoline.

More than half the energy potential in traditional power plants is lost to the atmosphere as waste heat or in losses from transmission lines. The UTC Power fuel cell system captures exhaust energy for local cooling and heating, Whole Foods said.

The harnessed exhaust energy at the store will cool refrigeration cases year-round and heat the store in the winter months.

The fuel cell at Whole Foods can provide 200 kilowatts of power in the event of a grid failure, which would allow the supermarket to operate without disruption.

UTC Power, a subsidiary of Hartford-based United Technologies Corp., has supplied fuel cells for a Spanish Navy submarine, schools and other businesses. The fuel cell for Whole Foods is the first in a supermarket, said UTC Power spokeswoman Peg Hashem.

Whole Foods received a $940,000 grant from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund to be used toward the purchase of the fuel cell. Grants are financed by the state's electricity ratepayers and are intended to promote the use of clean energy, said Emily Smith, a spokeswoman for the energy fund.

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On the Net:

http://www.utc.com

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com