Wal-Mart to build sustainable distribution center

Wal-Mart Canada, a division of Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc., plans to open a 450,000-sq.-ft. distribution center this fall, which will be about 60 percent more energy-efficient than Wal-Mart's traditional distribution centers and one of the most energy-efficient facilities of its kind in North America.

"We've set the ambitious goal of building the most sustainable distribution center possible, while at the same time delivering a compelling return on investment," says Andy Ellis, senior vice president of supply chain for Wal-Mart Canada. "The center will be a living lab that demonstrates sustainable operations, products and technologies, while showing that environmental sustainability can go hand-in-hand with business sustainability."

Wal-Mart is planning to install a wide variety of material handling systems and equipment to support its sustainability efforts. For the first time, Wal-Mart will use hydrogen fuel cells to power its entire lift truck fleet. The hydrogen will come from Quebec, where it is produced using 98 percent renewable energy sources, including hydroelectricity.

In addition, the entire facility will be lit by LED lighting. Wal-Mart expects to save an estimated 1.4 million kilowatt-hours annually — the equivalent of powering 121 average-size Canadian households for a year. Wal-Mart also plans to test solar and wind energy at the center by installing 16 solar thermal panels on the side of the facility. The panels will supply clean, renewable energy to heat the hot water in the facility. A 225-kilowatt wind turbine located on site will produce enough energy to supply 55 average-size Canadian homes.

The facility also has a cutting-edge refrigeration system that requires less power than conventional systems and uses ammonia instead of refrigerants. Waste heat from the refrigeration system will heat the facility during the winter months. Concrete flooring throughout the facility will contain fly ash — a byproduct of coal burning at electric utility plants — to reduce the use of cement and replace chemical-intensive tiling. Wal-Mart will also install high-efficiency doorways between temperature zones, insulated dock plates, upgraded dock seals and a white roof membrane that deflects an estimated 85 percent of sunlight to reduce heat gain and demand on the electrical grid.

Low-flow sinks, toilets and urinals in the bathrooms will conserve water, and a sedimentation pond next to the facility will collect storm water and channel it into local water systems. Wal-Mart says it will divert 50 percent of the waste produced during construction away from landfills. The construction process itself will be powered by renewable energy through Bullfrog Power, a Canadian provider of renewable electricity.