The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has presented Sprouts Farmers Market in Dunwoody, Ga., with GreenChill Platinum-Level Store Certification, the highest level of certification. EPA Regional Administrator Heather McTeer Toney delivered remarks and made the award presentation Tuesday.
GreenChill is an EPA partnership with food retailers to reduce refrigerant emissions and decrease their impact on the ozone layer and climate change.
The new Sprouts’ store runs on a Hillphoenix Advansor transcritical CO2 booster system that entirely eliminates the use of HFCs (hydro-fluorocarbons), which for decades was the refrigerant of choice in the supermarket industry but is now viewed by environmentalists as damaging to the Earth’s protective ozone layer and contributing to global warming. Increasingly, food retailers are moving toward more sustainable natural refrigerants including CO2, glycol and ammonia.
Retailers and engineers in North America have widely questioned whether a CO2 transcritical system—the cleanest and most environmentally friendly HFC-free option for commercial refrigeration—could be operated efficiently in areas where the ambient temperature climbs above 85 degrees. Energy efficient, economical transcritical CO2 refrigeration systems are normally limited to colder climates due to the limitations of air-cooled gas coolers. The key to Sprouts’ new system is a proprietary TrilliumSeries hybrid evaporative condenser designed for Hillphoenix by Baltimore Air.
“We worked with Baltimore Air Coil to develop a new product that’s a hybrid evaporative condenser adapted for use with CO2,” said Scott Martin, director of sustainable technologies at Hillphoenix, Conyers, Ga. “Evaporative condensers offer energy savings by providing lower system condensing temperatures than conventional air-cooled or water-cooled condensing systems.”
With its new Dunwoody store, Sprouts aims to change the industry’s preconceived notions about warm climate operation of transcritical CO2 systems, demonstrating that it is a viable option for retailers seeking a more sustainable, energy efficient refrigeration option.
“Central to Sprouts’ identity is a genuine commitment to responsible retailing,” said Ted Frumkin, SVP of business development at Sprouts. “This innovative partnership with Hillphoenix helps Sprouts reduce waste and our environmental impact, which we know is important to our customers and our team members.”
Toney recognized the Dunwoody store this week for responding to President Obama’s Climate Action Plan by eliminating the use of HFCs. The event took place during the market’s pre-grand opening events. Sprouts in Dunwoody is located at 2480 Mount Vernon Rd. and opens to customers today. The store is the Phoenix, Ariz.-based grocer’s second in Georgia. Its first opened in Snellville last month.
