Sainsbury’s green technology to ease strain on National Grid

Supermarket chain Sainsbury's has deployed a technology that it claims will help to alleviate strain on the National Grid at peak times.

The system, which will be deployed at Sainsbury's new store in Hythe, Kent, will monitor the National Grid and activate a Sainsbury's biofuel generator when there is an increased demand for electricity.

If successful, the technology will be rolled out across the rest of its stores.

The generator uses waste oil and fat from Sainsbury's stores to act as an auxiliary power source.

"There are many power stations in the UK that are kept on stand-by, ready to come into action when required. The trouble is that two-thirds of the UK's stand-by power comes from high-carbon-emitting non-renewable sources," said Neil Sachdev, Sainsbury's property director.

"By introducing this technology, we will cut the UK's dependence on fossil fuels, reduce our own energy costs and reduce our CO2 emissions."

The monitoring technology at the Hythe store will also deactivate or reduce the store's heating, ventilation and lighting systems at peak times.

We are an extremely agile business so can implement changes by ourselves, rather than waiting for climate change legislation to bring about change," added Sachdev.

"When we find a technology that can work at scale, we immediately set about planning how we can roll that into the rest of our business."