Wal-Mart reports mixed results from experimental green stores

Nov. 13 -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is implementing successful green technology ahead of schedule in Wal-Mart and Sam´s Club locations from its two experimental stores, while the jury is still out on some of the other projects.

The McKinney, Texas, and Aurora, Colo., stores operate with experimental green technologies designed to reduce operational and construction waste, use recycled and renewable materials and conserve resources.

Wal-Mart is working with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to evaluate the stores, which began operating in 2005, for three years. Some of the technology, such as light-emitting diode, or LED, lighting, has proven successful. The company plans to install LED lights into freezer cases in new Wal-Mart and Sam´s Club stores nationwide starting in 2007 based on the tests in the experimental stores.

Other successful projects include using recovered cooking and motor oil as boiler fuel, recovering heat from refrigeration units, radiant floor heating and the use of fly-ash and slag in concrete.

"We still consider these stores to be experiments," said Don Moseley, special projects engineer. "While a number of the experiments have already proven successful, we will continue to monitor and learn from these stores for the full three-year evaluation period. Rather than waiting for the full evaluation period to lapse, we have already determined a need to accelerate implementation of some technologies for new stores."

One project that needs more looking into is renewable power generation, such as wind turbines. Mechanical problems have prevented units from generating consistent and continuous power, Moseley said.