Whole Foods Market new store in San Jose, Calif. Will be its third powered with on-site fuel cell power, joining the Dedham, Mass., and Glastonbury, Conn. Locations already using the green power technology.

The new Whole Foods store, now under construction, will cover approximately 50,000 square feet, and the fuel cell system, from South Windsor, Conn.-based UTC Power, will generate 90 percent of the store’s electricity needs and its byproduct thermal energy will be used for store heating, cooling, and refrigeration for an overall efficiency of approximately 60 percent, according to UTC Power.

“Whole Foods [will] use this clean and highly efficient technology at our new San Jose store,” said Kathy Loftus, Whole Foods Market global leader of sustainable engineering, maintenance and energy. “This will help reduce our impact on the environment and lessen our overall energy demands from traditional sources.”

Fuel cells produce electricity, heat, and water through an electrochemical process. By generating most of its power on-site with a fuel cell, the San Jose, store will prevent the release of more than 370 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually – the equivalent of planting more than 85 acres of trees. The reductions in nitrogen oxide emissions compared to a conventional power plant are equal to the environmental benefit of removing 92 cars from the road, said UTC Power.

Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods operates more than 280 stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.