EVANSTON, ILL. — Sporting two wind turbines, nearly 850 solar panels and a geothermal system burrowed 550 feet into the ground, Walgreens has opened what it believes is the nation’s first net-zero energy retail store in metro Chicago. The store is expected to produce energy equal to or greater than it consumes. Walgreens plans to achieve a net-zero energy building by utilizing solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal technology, energy-efficient building materials, LED lighting and ultra-high-efficiency refrigeration. The store is located in Evanston, at the intersection of Chicago Avenue and Keeney Street. The Chicago-area location allows easy access for Walgreens engineers based at the company’s headquarters in Deerfield, to measure the store’s performance for an entire year to determine if the store reaches its goal of net-zero energy use.
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