19 July 2012
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Sainsbury's makes geothermal pledge
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UK: Supermarket giant Sainsbury's has announced its intention to use geothermal technology to power up to 100 stores.
Working in partnership with E.ON and Geothermal International, Sainsbury's says it has identified both new-build and existing stores to utilise renewable energy from deep underground to provide energy efficient heating, hot water and cooling.
The announcement follows Sainsbury's successful world-first use of geothermal technology developed by Greenfield Energy at its Crayford store, enabling it to supply 30% of its energy from on-site renewable sources.
The schemes aim to deliver up to 100MW of renewable energy sources in supermarkets by the end of 2016. They are also part of Sainsbury's 20 by 20 Sustainability Plan renewables commitment which includes reducing its absolute operational carbon emissions by 30 per cent and delivering a fully renewable heat strategy for its supermarkets by 2030.
E.ON, one of the UK's leading energy companies, is working with thermal energy specialist Greenfield Energy which developed the technology that was first pioneered at Sainsbury's Crayford store in south-east London. Its unique borehole designs also allow large-scale installations while using minimal land area.