Supply chain pressures have led fresh produce producers to closely examine their green credentials and in particular their carbon emissions, but the smart money is on those companies such as leading UK fresh potato producer Greenvale AP that have taken their own initiative and are harnessing the power of wind.Make no mistake though, with volatile fuel prices causing the industry nightmares, fresh producers and others in the food industry are looking to control costs and make savings. It is not simply a question of being green.
Chris Porter, Sales Director at Wind Direct, a UK-based company specialising in the installation and operation of commercial-scale wind turbines says that these systems have a major application in the fresh produce sector:
“This sector uses significant amounts of electricity for refrigeration, heating glasshouses, not to mention processing and packaging. The savings that can be made for those able to install wind turbines can therefore be substantial.”
One of the main reasons for this is the percentage of UK energy bills taken up by “Use of System Charges” and associated costs. These are the charges levied by energy companies for using the electricity networks. In recent years these charges have increased in cost and also in the proportion of the bill (see diagram 1).
Diagram 1
Generating and consuming energy in-situ means that these escalating charges are minimised, resulting in immediate cost reductions.
Adding to the scenario are world energy prices which have been particularly volatile in recent years due to conflicts and political turmoil. Fossil fuels are also becoming harder and riskier to source, so another distinct advantage of generating “on-site” is an energy supply that is sustainable and can be fixed in price with long-term price stability.
This idea of fixed price energy is demonstrated in figure 2 below which shows how Wind Direct’s model works, as explained by Chris:
“We install the turbine at our risk and using our capital, and then sell the energy back to our clients at a fixed price. This would be cheaper than they would be paying for brown energy, and remains low over the long term therefore increasing the savings.”
According to Chris, for an average large machine with a reasonable wind speed, electricity is typically supplied between 4-6 pence per kilowatt hour, compared to the brown cost of 7-8 pence or more.
There are of course other ways to go aboutharnessing the power of the wind than just using Wind Direct. Companies canchose to go it alone; buy the wind turbine and apply for planning permission,but this can be difficult and time consuming mainly due to planning uncertainty.This process could involve an investment of between 3-3.5 million pounds, witha pay back in 5-6 years. The whole process can take up to around 3 years fromconcept to generation.
(delivery of turbine blades)
An alternative way, one with much less risk, is to let an expert deal with the planners and studies, logistics and completion of the project. This is the model offered by Wind Direct which has a 90% success rate in taking projects through planning and will carry out all of the studies, engineering etc that is needed, free of charge.
One of the UK's largest potato producers, Greenvale AP, has won planning permission for a turbine on its site in Cambridgeshire, which will be installed by Wind Direct.
In a recent press statement, a spokesperson for Greenvale said:
“We have our own policy aimed at reducing the varied environmental impacts that arise from our activities, and the planned installation of the Wind Direct turbine will go a long way towards reaching our targets.”
And for Chris, this is exactly what it is all about: producers seizing the moment to demonstrate their green credentials whilst reducing costs:
“Our clients such as Greenvale AP, Dewlay Cheese and Noble Foods are leading the way for future food production. Others like them have potential to harness the wind and should act now.”
(Above – Dewlay Cheese 2MW wind turbine)
For more information:
Christopher Porter
Wind Direct
Corbridge
UK
Tel: 0044 1434 671011
Email: [email protected]
www.wind-direct.co.uk