Macy's Adds Fuel Cells In Addition to Solar

Renewable energy use probably isn’t what you think about when you shop at Macy’s, but the company ranks 6th in the US for corporate use of solar.

Over the summer, Macy’s added fuel cells to run an online fulfillment center in Cheshire, Connecticut. Bloom Energy’s fuel cells will provide base load energy and will also ensure continuous power in the event of outages. A solar system on the roof comes online next month. 

"This Macy’s project is one of our first business continuity projects in the northeast, an area hard hit by grid outage events over the last few years," says Bill Thayer, executive vice president of Sales for Bloom Energy. "The Bloom solution will help meet Macy’s corporate sustainability goals as well as provide reliable power to keep critical business operations and the facility up and running during disruptive events."

The Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority of Connecticut (CEFIA) assisted with a $900,000 grant for the $5.1 million, 600 kilowatt project.

Macy’s has cut energy consumption 37% of the past decade through efficient HVAC, switching to LEDs and energy management systems. "We have really deep commitment to sustainability, whether it involves installing more efficient lighting, solar panels or in this case, a fuel cell," Peter Longo, president of Macy’s Logistics and Operations, told New Haven Register.

The company has almost 21 megawatts of solar installed at more than 30 stores across the US. Much of that is through power purchase agreements – it buys the energy from SunPower solar systems installed on-site. SunPower also conducts its energy efficiency upgrades.