United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) says the solar array at its Howell, NJ, distribution center is complete.
The 3.2 MW roof-mounted solar array is the company’s eighth solar installation and is nearly three times larger than any previous UNFI installation.
UNFI also plans to complete LED energy lighting upgrades at 33 distribution centers, which when completed will save the company approximately $15 million over 10 years.
The roof has 7,171 solar panels and was developed to produce renewable electricity that roughly equals the annual energy needs of the Howell distribution center. The system is predicted to prevent approximately 2,700 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent from being released into the atmosphere each year. The system’s environmental benefits are equivalent to the emissions of 524 US homes using electricity.
UNFI worked PowerFlexwhich provides smart solar, storage and electric vehicle charging solutions to commercial and industrial customers to complete the installation of Howell solar panels.
“The completion of our Howell solar array and investment in LED lighting in our distribution centers has already helped reduce our indirect Scope 2 emissions and will continue to help us as we aim to reduce the energy intensity of our distribution centers by 30 percent by 2030.” says Alisha Real, Vice President of ESG and Social Impact at UNFI.
