United Natural Foods Fulfills Nearly All of Facility’s Annual Energy Needs With Rooftop Solar

Founded in 1976, United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) has earned the distinction of the largest publicly traded wholesale food distributor in the United States and Canada. The company operates nearly 50 distribution centers and provides goods to over 30,000 customers, including large grocery chains like Whole Foods.

The Challenge

Reinvigorate National Food Distributor’s Sustainability Journey

UNFI is a strong and transparent steward of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives. Through its Better for All sustainability strategy, the company has set a goal to cut its Scope 1 and 2 emissions in half by 2050. After completing a string of solar installations in the mid 2000s, UNFI was looking for a partner to help them recommit to onsite clean energy generation at the company’s Howell, New Jersey, distribution center. Though a prime candidate for solar, the facility had a sizeable power demand and needed a new roof.

PowerFlex’s Solution

Large-Scale Rooftop Solar Installations

INSTALLATION TYPE

Rooftop Solar

INSTALLATION SIZE

11.7 MW (across 2 sites)

LOCATION

Howell, NJ
Riverside, CA

INCENTIVES

Solar Investment Tax Credit • Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SREC-II) Program

UNFI tapped PowerFlex to install a 3.2-megawatt (MW) solar energy system at the Howell facility that is expected to generate 3.8 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of clean electricity annually — fulfilling nearly all the building’s yearly energy needs. PowerFlex coordinated all installation efforts with Centimark, the contractor responsible for the re-roofing project.

PowerFlex also navigated the requirements of UNFI’s insurer, FM Global, and met all their specs regarding how system components were to be installed.

UNFI was able to subsidize a portion of installation costs with funds from New Jersey’s Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SREC-II) incentive program, which PowerFlex was instrumental in securing.

Comprised of 7,171 individual solar panels, the clean energy the system prevents nearly 3,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent from being released into the atmosphere annually based on Environmental Protection Agency estimates.

6.8-MW System at Riverside Distribution Center

PowerFlex and UNFI partnered on a second large-scale rooftop system, at UNFI's distribution center in Riverside, California. With 6.8 MW of solar capacity generating more than 10 million kWh of clean energy yearly, the system helps the expansive facility reduce its reliance on price-volatile utility electricity — managing annual energy expenses and helping UNFI continue to make good on its sustainability commitments.

We have climate commitments to reduce our facility emissions, but also, we operate in some really expensive states. And so it's a win-win when we're doing these rooftop solar arrays with PowerFlex. We can reduce our facility emissions greatly and reduce the operating costs by using less off the grid.

Kevin Alavi

Director of Sustainability and Social Impact, United Natural Foods, Inc.