Net Zero Energy Walgreens in Evanston, Illinois

Imager borrowed from evanston.patch.com

Combining efficient energy use with wind and solar energy production, the new Evanston Walgreens will have net zero energy use.  See the article here.

Too bad the new WECS ordinance being considered for Culver would stop a store like this from coming into Culver.  (A Walgreens would best fit in a C-2 Zoning District which does allow for the use of  a WECS, but the further restriction that no WECS maybe located within 1500 feet of an R-1 Zoning District would make it virtually impossible to place such a store within Culver’s Town Limits.)

Evanston is north of Chicago which generally would put it in a latitude where solar energy collection has diminished returns.  It’s proximity to Lake Michigan does make it likely to receive fairly consistent winds.

I would be interested to see the construction costs of this facility compared to a conventional Walgreens.  For a complete analysis I would also need to see the normal operating costs, i.e. electric and gas use.  This would tell me if the added cost of construction would be justified by the savings.  All those are factors in determining if this is Green that Saves Green.

For more on the discussion of WECS‘s in Culver, see here and here.