Energy plates

Sainsbury’s has launched a Kinetic Road Plates system that it claims generates green energy every time a customer drives through its car park.

In what is said to be a European first, kinetic plates have been installed at Sainsbury’s new store in Gloucester in order to reduce the amount of electricity needed from the National Grid.

The system works by creating rocking motions that turn generators under the road surface.

According to the company, energy captured from cars passing over the plates will generate around 30kW of electricity an hour: enough to power the store’s check-outs.

Alison Austin, Sainsbury’s environment manager, said: ‘This is revolutionary, not only are we the first to use such cutting-edge technology with our shoppers, but customers can now play a very active role in helping to make their local shop greener, without extra effort or cost.

‘We want to continue offering great value but we also want to make the weekly shop sustainable.

‘Using amazing technology like this helps us reduce our use of carbon and makes Sainsbury’s a leading energy-efficient business.’

The Kinetic Road Plates are just one of the measures to be unveiled at Sainsbury’s new store in Gloucester tomorrow.

Additional features include solar thermal panels, web-based energy usage monitors and LEDs used in the frozen-foods section that shine brighter in cold conditions.

David Sheehan, director of store development and construction at Sainsbury’s, said: ‘The new environmental features within the Gloucester Quays store mark a very exciting time in store development.

‘We are able to use cutting-edge technology to improve our services and the store environment for both our customers and colleagues, at the same time as ultimately reducing our carbon footprint across the UK.’