Where are the greatest opportunities for making potato storage more sustainable? ENGIE Refrigeration, specialist in refrigeration technology and partner of the Boerenbusiness Crop tour, sums up the opportunities.
Various developments require more sustainable methods of potato storage. For example, Europe prescribes reducing and eventually banning the use of synthetic refrigerants in cooling installations. The market and government are also making increasingly higher demands on sustainable production processes. This makes sustainability the rule rather than the exception.
1. Start with mechanical cooling
"ENGIE Refrigeration offers a new way of sustainable drying and storage of potatoes: mechanical cooling, also known as condensation drying called. With this, growers can maintain the quality of potatoes, realize significantly lower energy costs and utilize all opportunities for sustainability," says Gert Jan Knippenberg, business development manager at ENGIE Refrigeration.
The cooling installation consists of a mechanical storage system and is used in an almost completely closed environment. So no outside air is involved, unless the conditions are right. The different phases of the storage process (cooling, wound healing, storage and warming) are fully automated. The computer continuously measures the temperature and humidity in the warehouse and adjusts the cooling capacity and the storage program to the cooling demand.
2. Use natural refrigerants
About 3% of the total electricity consumption in our country is used for cooling. The natural refrigerants CO2, ammonia and propane help to reduce consumption and make companies more sustainable. They have a much lower impact on the greenhouse effect (GWP value) than synthetic refrigerants. Because ENGIE's sustainable storage system runs on natural refrigerants, this leads to a win-win situation for the grower and the environment.
Knippenberg: "In practice, we see that the energy consumption of the installation is 20% to 40% lower than that of an installation with a synthetic refrigerant. This limits costs. Mechanical cooling with natural refrigerants fits into a sustainable production chain. this complies with European legislation and also safeguards their production process, because the phasing out is making synthetic refrigerants increasingly scarce and more expensive."
3. Provide more tradable products
Due to a gradual decrease in temperature during cooling, a stable temperature during the storage of the potatoes and a constant humidity and CO2content in the storage place, the quality is preserved. That results in less than 3% dehydration. A damaged potato in conventional storage can rot and infect surrounding produce.
ENGIE's storage system mummifies the damaged potatoes and does not affect other products. This way there are no rot nests. Food waste is then prevented and it yields up to 30% more marketable product. "In addition, the potatoes can be stored longer, because the quality is preserved. Growers can therefore respond better to price developments in the market," says Knippenberg.
4. Respond to Climate Change
"A drying and storage system that depends on the outside air has little prospects for the future. Climate change is increasingly leading to unpredictable weather conditions. Humidity and changes in temperature and CO2 can affect the products. In addition, long periods with warm outside air can make cooling impossible, increasing the risk of dehydration. With mechanical cooling, growers can eliminate the outside air and all associated risks."
5. Minimize gas and energy consumption
By excluding outside air, the use of gas heaters is also a thing of the past. Because additional heating due to air that is too humid is no longer necessary. That minimizes costs. It is also possible to use the residual heat from the installation for other applications. A heat pump can make this heat suitable for heating spaces, the potato washer or washing water. This also reduces energy consumption, energy costs and CO2emissions.
6. Install solar panels
With the installation of solar panels, growers can generate all the energy they need for mechanical cooling themselves. Knippenberg: "That makes the installation even more economical and sustainable. In that case, ENGIE can take care of the supply and installation of solar panels."
7. Take advantage of tax arrangements
There are interesting subsidies and attractive tax incentives for the application of sustainable technologies. The Energy Investment Allowance (EIA) in particular offers perspective. Growers can deduct 54,5% of the investment costs from their taxable profit, on top of the usual depreciation. The net benefit can amount to more than 28%, depending on the legal form and the tax rate.
8. Take advantage of attractive financing options
"At ENGIE, we understand that banks are sometimes reluctant to finance sustainable solutions. That is why we lend a helping hand where necessary and we offer attractive financing options. We rely on the value our technology has (both for the environment and for the business of potato growers)", says Knippenberg.