GENERATING renewable energy is the way forward for McCain Foods Ballarat plant.<\/p>\n
The company announced construction has commenced on a renewable energy system predicted to reduce the site\u2019s emissions by more than 27,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.<\/p>\n
The 8.2-megawatt<\/span> system plans to utilise a combination of technology including a 17,000 solar panel array and a cogeneration digester that takes biogas produced by food waste to generate energy.<\/p>\n Engineering project manager at McCain Foods Scott White said the works are cutting edge in combining solar with a bio digestant cogeneration component.<\/p>\n \u201cNot only are we going to be producing energy from the sun but we\u2019re going to take by product from our potato manufacturing facility and use that to create a fuel which will then be used to produce electricity in the plant,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The plan is set to be Australia\u2019s largest behind-the-meter scheme in existence referring to its use of emerging technologies such as solar, energy cogeneration and electric vehicle charging spots.<\/p>\n Mr White said the project has been a long time in the making.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a large feasibility study undertaken over 18 months,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe realised, if you can build and develop a smart system that there are ways to do this easily to save the bottom line and improve the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n The new system aims to reduce the site\u2019s natural gas usage by 16 per cent and energy consumed from the grid by 39 per cent.<\/p>\n This is something Mr White said is part of the company\u2019s long term environmental plan in sustaining communities, local economies and jobs.<\/p>\n \u201cThis project suits perfectly because it\u2019s about having a sustainable energy source and reducing our site operational costs so therefore protecting jobs for the future and farmers and suppliers alike,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe board and the family owned business is driven to reduce our CO2 emissions in all of our factories in 10 years.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re already well down the path of completing feasibility studies for other plants around Australia and the globe as well.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" GENERATING renewable energy is the way forward for McCain Foods Ballarat plant. The company announced construction has commenced on a renewable energy system predicted to reduce the site\u2019s emissions by more than 27,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. The 8.2-megawatt system plans to utilise a combination of technology including a 17,000 solar panel array and […]<\/p>\n