Solar power cuts veg packer's energy costs & CO2 emissions
The company, Frederick Hiam installed the solar panels on eight different roofs at the Brandon site with the help of renewable energy provider RenEnergy.
Damian Baker, RenEnergy’s managing director told FoodProductionDaily.com: “Solar PV is a proven global technology. When compared with other technologies it is relatively quick and easy to install providing you have a suitable roof or area of land to site the system.
“The technology will assist in reducing electricity bills, especially for heavy users like Frederick Hiam and it also attracts government support.”
Hydro cool parsnips
The firm’s Foods Factory specialises in washing, grading, and packing a range of whole vegetable products – particularly parsnips, carrots and potatoes. It needs energy to hydro cool parsnips and carrots, chill potatoes and for general cold storage.
On the same site is the Hiam Onion complex which uses energy for drying and providing cold storage for 12,000t of onions plus grading and packing.
The solar power system is estimated to have an annual output of 637,687 kWh, which is expected to yield a carbon saving of 329t over 12 months.
Clive Malpass, Frederick Hiam’s financial director, said: “With ever increasing electricity costs we started looking into renewable sources several years ago, first with Combined Heat and Power and then Pyrolysis Gasification.”
Both techniques had some way to go in terms of reliable technology on a large-scale and needed a considerable consistent fuel source which was not available, he said.
“Solar PV on the other hand requires only a natural source, sunlight and it is free. We have installed 326 kW on our Frederick Hiam Foods Factory and we will use virtually 100% of the generated power, there is another 235 kW on six onion stores which will use all the power generated when the stores are full of onions, when empty the power will be exported to the grid.”
Cloudy days
Producing electricity during daylight hours, even on cloudy days, the solar PV panels will generate electricity year-round. But the system’s peak output is in the summer when food and beverage manufacturers need large amounts of energy for cooling, said Baker.
Nick Gilford, Hiam’s commercial director, said: “With the current economic climate, all businesses have to consistently look at ways to reduce some of the ever increasing input costs; renewable energy was a clear business case winner.
“It’s an excellent step towards significantly reducing our carbon emissions and we are positive that business will be looking at alternative ways to help reduce both cost and our carbon footprint.”
