Follett's Energy Star certified Aurora Distribution Center requires clean, steady electrical power to meet their operational needs and a power protection solution capable of reducing their carbon footprint and meeting their sustainability objectives.
A flywheel clean energy system for the facility's UPS system was incorporated into the design to gracefully hand-off the facility's full load to its generator in case of a power outage. The system works off of kinetic energy to deliver a reliable source of DC power, saves Follett money through life-cycle costs, allows them to better utilize the floor space, and alleviates any probability of battery failures.
"We wanted to configure and execute a power protection infrastructure design that was based on high reliability, low maintenance, and that would advance Follett's green requirements," says ESD Electrical Engineer Mike Isadore.
Ice Storage technology is being used at the facility for its cooling system. This design provides efficiency by using ice produced during off peak hours for cooling.
The Aurora facility is a 550,000 sf warehouse with a 50,000 sf two-story office space. It contains a KIVA mobile fulfillment system with hundreds of mobile robotic units to bring inventory to stationed employees. ESD designed the KIVA area of approximately 30,000 sf for the BOTS and custom shelving units of inventory.