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Case Studies

ASDA, Business case analysis of renewable energy

ASDA is committed to sustainability throughout its business activities through initiatives such as recycling and waste management, energy and carbon reduction, renewable energy, sustainable transport and distribution, environmental sourcing and the sale of fair-trade products.

Having worked on the development of a flagship store in Bootle, Rolton Group was commissioned to carry out a review of Asda’s sites to see where the application of ground source technology could be used to reduce the company’s carbon emissions and its use of energy.

Open loop ground source solutions present one of the most cost-effective applications of renewable energy technology to directly reduce energy consumption, and carbon emissions. The technology is widely used and well developed with minimal visual and environmental impact.

Part of the review looked at the implications and suitability of modifying existing stores and the potential to apply ground source technology to new stores.

The technology is only applicable at locations with suitable subterranean aquifer characteristics. Rolton Group’s scoping study looked at 400 ASDA related locations in the UK graded them for suitability. From this study, 97 current stores, 17 planned stores and six depots were identified as having a high potential for application.

The results of the analysis set out the potential for reduction of carbon emissions, the lower running costs that would come from use of the ground loop system and the payback time on investments in different types of store


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