In Rudow, Berlin, Rewe Group has opened the first supermarket awarded a gold label to the German Society for Sustainable Building (DGNB) this morning. The CO2-neutral 1,830 square metre store uses state-of-the-art heating, ventilation, lighting, air conditioning and refrigeration systems, combined with the best possible insulation, cutting energy consumption by almost 50% compared to a standard building. The outlet produces around 40% of its own energy requirements. The photovoltaic system measuring almost 2,000 square metres combines a large roof-top unit made of special cylindrical modules with a photovoltaic unit integrated into the glass of the projecting part of the roof.
Some 12 bore holes in the ground, each reaching depths of almost 100 metres, were required to create a geothermal energy plant with two charging stations for electric cars. Lionel Souque, Managing Director of Rewe supermarkets in Germany said: "We want to show that ecology and economy by no means contradict each other, particularly in economically-challenging times. If we save resources today, then we also directly bolster our economic strength."
